The Esoteric
by Prosopopeia
Summary: [AU, KakaIru] Iruka is requested to watch over Team 7 by Kakashi while he is away on a mission. But when danger approaches Konoha, Iruka must elicit past teachings and wield them to protect those closest to him. Part Nine.
1. Prologue

Hahaha, first attempt at a Naruto fanfic. Let's see now… It's currently 2:23 a.m. so I have no idea how this is going to turn out. It's really just a test to see whether I can get the characters down right, but if it turns out to be more than that…so be it.

_Disclaimer: Me don't own Naruto, k?_

* * *

**The Esoteric**

**Prologue**

* * *

It was a dark night out in Konoha Village. The sky was a misty dark blue with grey clouds lingering in the distance. The full moon shone brilliantly, lighting up the dusty streets. All was silent and it was times like these that Iruka truly appreciated. He sat alone on his rooftop, admiring the scenery. It was seldom this peaceful at night. Usually some squabbling Genins would be found in some corner and considering the recent events, the chances of invading foreigners were high.

Iruka let out a quiet sigh and leaned back to rest on his elbows. Tsunade was a powerful shinobi and one worthy of respect, but he had some doubts on her dedication as Hokage. Perhaps it was because of her lofty attitude towards it. In any case, Iruka found himself thinking back to the Third Hokage's reign. Anyone could see he was devoted to his people and village. Iruka smiled faintly. He missed their conversations.

A small rustle started Iruka to sit up suddenly, eyeing his surroundings warily. He felt a presence somewhere near him. Focusing his concentration more, he recognized the faint feeling.

"You're supposed to be sleeping, Naruto," he called out lightly.

Iruka smiled slightly when he heard a gasp of surprise and no sooner than later, a blond head popped out from behind a tree. Naruto blinked at Iruka confoundedly.

"How did you know it was me?" he inquired incredulously.

"Instinct," answered Iruka before turning to his former student. "Why are you out here?"

Concern was evident in his tone. Naruto realized this immediately and quickly grinned to ward off Iruka's worry. "Ah, I just couldn't sleep! I think I ate some expired ramen for dinner again," he replied, rubbing his stomach.

Iruka couldn't resist a small chuckle at Naruto's dilemma. However, he was a bit disappointed now that his tranquility was disturbed. Normally he would be pleased to have a talk with Naruto but at that precise moment, he wanted silence. And that was something Naruto would find extremely difficult to abide by.

"Um, I think I'll go back now, Iruka-sensei. You look like you want to be alone. Goodnight!" said Naruto suddenly as he quickly leaped away.

Iruka glanced up in surprise as he watched the young Genin disappear into the distance. He thought to himself with some wonder. It seemed Naruto had grown more perceptive from his academy days. What was even more surprising was that he had learned about consideration as well, though he could try and be a little subtler about it. Iruka smiled. Naruto was slowly maturing right before his eyes and he felt pride like an older brother.

A small breeze swept the area, causing Iruka to look up at the sky. The stars glittered beautifully and he closed his eyes to take in the sweet air around him. It was close to three in the morning but he had yet to feel any tiredness. If truth be told, he felt restlessness. A need to run exploded within him and put him on the edge. Standing up, Iruka steadied himself for a bit before jumping down gracefully. He then promptly began to break into a run that was quick and silent. The small closed stores passed by him in a flurry and he relished in the feeling of being unnoticeable.

Then a small alarm went off in his head. Iruka narrowed his eyes slightly but never faltered in his pace. Whoever the stranger was, he or she was skilled. He began running deeper into the forests and leaped from tree to tree, trusting his instincts entirely. The area was nearly pitch black but Iruka knew the land well enough to have run through it blindfolded. His pursuer seemed to have slowed down a bit, but showed no signs of relenting. Iruka smiled. There was no panic in his system; he knew who it was.

Upon entering a clearing, Iruka stopped. The moonlight shone down on the small area clearly, giving everything it touched an ethereal glow. Iruka waited patiently with his arms crossed and eyes closed, listening to the wildlife around him. He often did this at night. There was a thrill in losing one's sense of sight; suddenly all the other senses took on an acute awareness. Iruka had taken on a training like this when he was younger—one he would never forget.

"I was wondering when you would show yourself, Kakashi-sensei," he said in a clear voice when he heard someone land behind him. Iruka smiled to himself. By a rule he made for himself, he was never to be this straightforward to someone he didn't know very well, but he was willing to break it this once.

Silence greeted him. Iruka remained calm. His eyes were still closed and everything around him was pictured vividly in his mind—the swaying trees, the slippery grass, and the air that moved all around him. It was a consistent pattern and he could feel it when Kakashi moved even the slightest, for it disturbed the wind's current. He had to wonder why the Jounin was being so silent, though.

"I was wondering where little Naruto had gone to," the Jounin finally said.

Iruka opened his eyes and turned around. Kakashi stood but a few meters away from him, looking as cool and casual as ever. His hands were in his pockets and he was looking at Iruka calmly.

"He went back home I believe," remarked Iruka, smiling. "He had some indigestion problems."

Kakashi sighed. "More expired ramen," he muttered.

Iruka blinked in slight surprise. Kakashi knew his students well. "So why did you follow me?" he inquired curiously.

Kakashi looked at him seriously for a bit before shrugging. "I was tireless as well," he said offhandedly. He then shot Iruka a sharp look. "You seem to know this area. I'll admit, I found it a bit difficult to follow you."

Iruka stared at him in shock before grinning, a faint blush spreading to his cheeks. "Is that so? Well, I did train a lot here as a child. It never really leaves your mind, I suppose," he replied, scratching his head embarrassingly.

Kakashi watched him silently with a faint smile. Iruka had always intrigued him. He would sometimes wonder how a man like him became a Chuunin. Iruka was kind-hearted and seemed hardly the type to kill. He seldom revealed any of his skills as well. All the knowledge Kakashi had about Iruka's capabilities were words of praise from the Third Hokage and Tsunade.

"You're off to a mission this afternoon, no?" remarked Iruka suddenly.

Kakashi nodded briskly but didn't say anything else.

Iruka tilted his head slightly. "Um, well, good-luck," he said stiffly.

"I have a favor to ask of you, Iruka-sensei," quipped Kakashi suddenly.

Iruka blinked. "Please, just Iruka. And what is it?" he replied. He had always felt such titles were unnecessary.

Kakashi's visible eye glittered. "Then it's Kakashi to you as well," he said brightly, "and I'm simply asking for you to watch over those idiots known as my students while I'm gone."

"Of course!" laughed Iruka.

The silver-haired Jounin smiled underneath his mask. He doubted he even needed to ask Iruka to watch over his pupils. He was, after all, very protective of his former students. It was indeed very amazing the kind of loyalty he elicited from them as well. Even those such as Sasuke and Neji respected Iruka. It was probably this quality that permitted him to teach the Academy students. Kakashi himself had nearly no patience for young children, but he was quite fond of his team now. It had surprised him when he found himself liking all of them so easily.

"I'll be off then. Thank you, Iruka," he announced with a small wave before vanishing with a puff of smoke.

Iruka smiled faintly and walked to the edge of the clearing to rest against a tree. He was still alarmingly awake and he doubted he would be able to fall asleep until at least a few more hours passed by. At that rate, he might as well just stay awake the entire night. Iruka shook his head amusedly. Once the students piled into class, he was sure he would regret that decision. But until then, he was going to run.

With slight flourish, he scaled up a tree and began his dive into the forest once again.

* * *

TBC

Hmm…Kakashi is bugging me. He's harder to get down than I thought. :P


	2. Invisible

* * *

**The Esoteric**

**I**

* * *

Kakashi was bored. Standing amidst a field of barren wasteland with a nauseating stench hanging in the air, he was starting to get more than a little irritated as well. He looked up at the grey sky and sighed. It was a simple mission: watch the border that separated Konoha from Hidden Sound. He had never expected the landscape to change so drastically, though. He was still within the Fire Country, but if he took one step further he would have found himself in the Sound's territory. So far he had not seen any spare shinobi wandering about the area. But if they really wanted to get to Konoha, he was sure they would have found alternative routes. Crossing the border would be simply too easy and Orochimaru was not that much of a fool.

"Hungry?"

Without glancing back, Kakashi stretched out his hand to take the small rice ball. Lowering his mask slightly, he bit into it slowly. "Thanks, Kurenai," he said.

The older woman smiled. "You're taking this quite seriously," she remarked amusedly as she regarded Kakashi's wary form.

"Hm? There are no stars out," replied Kakashi enigmatically.

Kurenai arched an eyebrow. "I still can't believe Hokage-sama would believe Orochimaru would send his shinobi here. She of all people should know how he is," she said, biting into her own snack.

Kakashi nodded slightly and suddenly took out something from his pocket. Kurenai watched in exasperation as he began reading Icha Icha Paradaisu. Sometimes she wondered what his fascination with the book was.

"Yo! Did you save any for me, Kurenai?" interjected a new voice.

Kurenai turned around to see Asuma grinning at her. She narrowed her eyes. "Save what?" she asked nonchalantly.

But Asuma looked unfazed. "Rice balls," he answered bluntly.

Kurenai crossed her arms. "Sorry, I ate them all," she replied.

At Asuma's saddened expression, Kurenai hid a smile.

"Hey Kurenai, stop joking around and just hand him an rice ball. Asuma whining isn't a pretty picture," voiced Kakashi suddenly.

Asuma nodded approvingly to Kakashi's words and Kurenai sighed deeply as she tossed a rice ball to him. "Naturally, the two men would side against the woman," she muttered to herself.

"Say, these aren't half bad. You made them yourself, Kurenai?" commented Asuma with some astonishment as he quickly devoured the rice ball.

Kurenai flashed him a glare. "What? You don't expect a woman like me to know how to cook?" she inquired sharply.

Asuma quickly shot her an apologetic smile. "No, no, of course not!" he replied unconvincingly.

"Why you," muttered Kurenai as she promptly began chasing Asuma around the field.

Kakashi watched them with some amusement before putting away his book. Suddenly Asuma and Kurenai became much more interesting. He crossed his arms and smiled slightly. Even if the mission was a bore, at least these two could provide some entertainment. Kakashi wondered if they even knew how foolish they looked—like two stubborn children who didn't want to admit their crushes on each other.

The silver-haired Jounin tilted his head back and stared at the sky, which had now turned to a dusky copper tone. He scowled at the uncleanness of the air. What had happened in this particular region to make it so inhabitable was something Kakashi pondered on. The rest of the Fire Country wasn't like this. Did some battle occur here recently? Kakashi allowed his visible eye to wander the land. There were high cliffs on the horizon and no sign of life whatsoever. The trees were stripped bare and soot coated their branches. Kakashi himself was seated on a large boulder that jutted out from thousands of smaller, bulky rocks. Kurenai was chasing after Asuma on ground that was uneven and dusty. This region would make for a good training area at the very least if it weren't for the dreadful smell. That was yet another mystery Kakashi wanted an answer to. The scent was so pungent it became nearly tangible.

"Maybe we should head back to camp," murmured Kakashi to himself as he stood up slowly, still surveying his surroundings. Uneasiness welled up within him. "Kurenai! Asuma! Let's go!"

The two Jounins stopped and gazed at Kakashi wonderingly. "What's wrong?" inquired Asuma as he walked towards him. Kurenai followed silently.

"Oh, nothing. I was just getting bored of watching you two chase each other like rabbits," he replied lightly, hiding his apprehension efficiently from the other two.

Asuma crossed his arms stubbornly while Kurenai wore an indignant look on her face.

"What do you—?"

But before Kurenai could finish her sentence, a shuriken came flying in front of her, landing on the ground with a quiver. At once, the three Jounins leapt away to form a defensive stance. Kakashi stood warily in the middle. The silence was palpable and he grew on edge. Whoever the enemy was, they held a definite advantage. He, Asuma, and Kurenai still had yet to grow accustomed to fighting in such a landscape while their opponent seemed to know the region very well. It was nearly pitch black now and there was no moonlight to aid them; Kakashi became slightly agitated.

"I can't see a damn thing," muttered Asuma in complaint.

"Just relax," assured Kakashi. His Sharingan would be useless in this situation.

"I can't believe we let ourselves fall into such a gullible trap," remarked Kurenai bitterly.

Kakashi had to agree with her. He had been examining the area for a long while and hadn't caught a single trace of an enemy nearby. He gritted his teeth and forced himself to calm down. His heartbeat was increasing; he needed to steady himself if he was going to fight. But all any of them could now was wait for a sign.

Then he heard it: a high-pitched whistling sound that was nearing them at an alarming rate. Kakashi didn't think to stop it—he knew that would be impossible.

"Move!" he warned out loud.

A strong gust of wind grazed the side of his face, leaving behind a cut below his eye. Kakashi blinked in surprise as he wiped away the blood.

"Everyone all right?" queried Asuma, now a few more meters away from him, Kakashi estimated.

"Yeah," affirmed Kurenai, sounding slightly out of breath.

"Be careful. The enemy is quick," warned Kakashi.

"Gee, thanks for the advice," remarked Asuma sarcastically.

Another high-pitched sound was issued, this time seemingly louder and bearing a slight echo. Kakashi focused hard on the sound. The first one was softer and lighter. This one seemed to hold a double timbre.

_There's two,_ Kakashi thought in alarm as he dodged the first attack and then barely avoiding the second wave as it grazed his arm, leaving a trail of blood on the ground. Kakashi cursed to himself as he heard Asuma and Kurenai both scramble to avoid the double attack. Before he could even recover himself, a third wave was sounded. This one hit Kakashi completely, knocking him to the ground in pain.

"Shit," cursed Kakashi as he heard Kurenai scream somewhere ahead of him. _We need light._

Quickly forming the seals, Kakashi issued a fierce ball of fire. It landed a few feet away from him, briefly lighting up the entire area for a short while. As he scanned the scene before him, he caught glimpse of their enemy. His dismay grew once he realized it was only one man causing them their troubles. The shinobi was dressed entirely in black and the insignia on the forehead protector was foreign to Kakashi.

Without further thought, Kakashi leapt towards the enemy, catching him off guard. As soon as his hands touched the shinobi's clothing, the light from the fire dissipated, leaving them rolling around in darkness once again. However, Kakashi was now alert and knew he had the real enemy in his grip when he heard the gasps of struggle.

"Kakashi!" exclaimed Asuma as he swiftly lit a torch.

Both he and Kurenai ran to Kakashi and his captive, who was still trying in vain to get away. Kakashi shot them both a look. "What took you so long, eh?" he inquired casually.

Asuma breathed a sigh of relief before chuckling. "Well, we knew you'd be able to take care of yourself," he replied as he leaned down to further study their opponent. His eyebrows crinkled once he caught sight of his forehead protector. "That emblem…I've never seen it before."

"Should we knock him out and take him back?" suggested Kurenai.

Kakashi frowned. "Let's see what he has to say," he said before snatching the mask off of the shinobi's face.

A young man that appeared roughly close to Kakashi's age gazed back at them furiously with hazel eyes. He wriggled around some more under Kakashi's grip before finally succumbing to his capture bitterly. Kurenai tilted her head to the side curiously.

"And who are you?" she asked sharply.

The young man was silent, but he glared at her angrily. Asuma sighed and scratched his head in thought. "People nowadays are just so stubborn," he muttered.

"Listen," remarked Kakashi suddenly as he took out a kunai, holding it close to the man's neck, "just tell us where you're from. We don't have time for games."

The shinobi regarded Kakashi silently before finally opening his mouth. "You're Konoha's shinobi," he said in a low tone.

Kakashi arched an eyebrow. "Yes, we are. And you?" he shot back.

"I come bearing a message for Tsunade-sama," the man replied.

"What's the message?" asked Kurenai.

The shinobi looked at her crossly. "It is only meant for Tsunade-sama," he stated firmly.

Kakashi pressed the edge of his kunai deeper into the man's throat. "So why did you attack us?" he inquired lightly despite the fierceness of his movements.

"I wasn't sure who you were. I thought you were from the Sound. It was only until you fired the Katon jutsu did I realize my mistake," the man replied, his tone humbler.

"Hmm," murmured Kakashi before he promptly pressed two fingers into the man's neck, rendering him unconscious.

"Finally!" exclaimed Asuma as he eyed Kakashi wearily. "I was starting to wonder how long you were going to keep interrogating him."

Kakashi handed the man over to Asuma. "It's good to know your enemy," he retorted before grimacing slightly at the pain from his ribs. Whatever village this man came from, his techniques were unseen.

"Are you all right?" asked Kurenai in concern.

Kakashi looked at her before laughing slightly. "I could ask you the same question," he replied, taking in the long cut that decorated her right forearm.

Kurenai shrugged. "It's not deep," she said shortly.

"Say, what are we going to do with him?" inquired Asuma suddenly as they began walking back to their site.

Kakashi thought to himself for a moment. "Someone will take him back to Konoha. He has a message for Hokage-sama after all," he answered simply.

"You actually trust him?" asked Kurenai incredulously.

Kakashi didn't reply. He was gazing at their surroundings again. The darkness had lifted. He could see now that there was in fact a moon out. Its light was dim but still very much evident compared to the blackness they were in only a few minutes ago. He looked again at the foreign shinobi. He was sure of it now. Whatever that darkness was, it was linked to him somehow. Kakashi frowned. It seemed like they were in for more mysteries.

* * *

TBC

Thank you to everyone who reviewed! In all honesty I was surprised people actually liked this story. :D So here's the first part for you! Don't worry, Iruka will show up in the next part; I just wanted to give a debriefing on what dear Kakashi was doing. Oh, and about the timeline of this story—I'm pretty much following the manga up to the point where Naruto and Sasuke face off. Let's just say they fought, Naruto conquered, and Sasuke was dragged back to the village. Hehe…okay, okay, don't follow those words _exactly_ but it's something like that. Consider it AU if you want.

And another note: I'm a very slow writer. I'm marking this as a miracle for me to update twice in a month—it has never been done by me before. So, um, if I disappear for a while, don't fret. I'll usually bounce back after a few months. (Let me run away now!) Don't worry, though. I'll try not to do that with this story. I'm too into it at the moment to leave it so quickly. :)


	3. Revelation

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**The Esoteric**

**II**

* * *

"And then he tells me, 'What's the point of a student if he doesn't obey his sensei?' Kaka-sensei really annoys me when he says things like that!" exclaimed Naruto as he banged his fist loudly on the table.

Iruka smiled slightly. "What did you say to him before that?" he asked.

"I just said'What's the point of a sensei if he leaves his students' I know missions are important but isn't his main responsibility to teach us? First, he leaves me with the perverted old man and then he goes off and teaches Sasuke the Chidori. That is _so_ unfair! How am I going to become Hokage with a sensei like him?"

Naruto was venting out all of his frustrations and he didn't care how many strange stares he was acquiring because of it. He slurped up more noodles before finally looking at Iruka. The older man was merely watching him with amusement. That just made him fume even more.

"It's not funny, Iruka-sensei!" he exclaimed, pouting deeply.

Iruka began to chuckle and patted Naruto's head. "Don't worry, Naruto. Kakashi will be back soon enough," he said reassuringly.

Naruto scrunched up his nose and ordered a second bowl. Iruka shook his head; Naruto was going to use up all his money at this rate.

"Why don't you come to the Academy tomorrow?" he suggested suddenly.

Naruto turned to face Iruka slowly. "Why?" he asked suspiciously.

Iruka hid his grin. "Well, an experienced Genin like yourself could offer some tips to the kids," he replied.

At once, Naruto seemed to brighten up. Holding up a fist in the air, the blond shot Iruka a victorious look. "Oh yeah! I could teach those kids a lot about being a Genin and all the dangerous missions I've accomplished!" he exclaimed joyously.

Iruka laughed lightly. Naruto was too easy to please.

"Of course…there will be others accompanying you."

Naruto shot Iruka a deadpanned look. "What?" he asked dully.

"I thought it would be a good idea for your entire team to go. After all, you do work together, no? And I'm sure the students would like to hear Sasuke and Sakura's views as well," explained Iruka slyly.

"B-But Iruka-sensei!" complained Naruto, faltering with his words as he threw a dejected look at his bowl.

Iruka couldn't resist a small grin at the boy's obvious disappointment. His one moment in the spotlight had now been taken away by the two simple names of Sasuke and Sakura. "Eat up, Naruto," he said as the boy's second helping was served.

Naruto, seemingly determined to use up all of Iruka's money now, devoured the ramen in a few seconds flat before ringing up a third. Iruka smiled helplessly. Well, it was his fault for treating him to dinner. Naruto's stomach was a bottomless pit.

"Say, Iruka-sensei… What's happening with Orochimaru now?"

At the quietly imposed question, Iruka faced his former student sharply. Naruto appeared almost sheepish, but there was determination in his eyes as he awaited an answer. Iruka narrowed his eyes and sighed softly.

"You know I'm not supposed to discuss these matters with Genins," he said firmly, employing an authoritative tone he used now and then to tame students. He seldom used it on Naruto, though, and the boy was surprised at the severity in Iruka's voice.

Naruto sighed deeply and looked at his empty bowl silently.

"But I guess I can break that rule seeing as how you already know more than some Chuunins," chirped Iruka brightly.

Naruto blinked in surprise before grinning widely at Iruka. "You've been hanging out with Kaka-sensei too much," he pointed out with some exasperation.

Iruka shrugged. "Maybe. And about your previous question, I can't tell you everything, Naruto. Just know that he's on the move and Konoha's gathering as many forces as we can. We won't be caught surprised again," he said slowly.

"Forces?" repeated Naruto confusedly.

Iruka nodded and smiled down at the blond. "Allies if you may. But it's getting difficult. Orochimaru's influence is spreading rapidly," he explained, his tone tinted with worry. If truth were told, only the Sand had answered Konoha's call. And if there would be a war, they would lose miserably.

"I see, I see. Well, Orochimaru's not going to defeat us! I'll make sure of that! As future Hokage, I will protect Konoha Village with all my strength!" exclaimed Naruto heroically.

Iruka stared at Naruto. The boy was saying things without grasping the true meaning of what was happening. He was born in an age of peace. The laws and reasons of war were still foreign to him. Iruka smiled slightly. At least he was courageous. When the real fighting began, though, he was sure even Naruto's iron will would falter. That was why Tsunade was sending out so many Jounins and Chuunins on recon missions. Konoha was in danger of being easily overwhelmed if any more attacks would come without them knowing. Iruka scowled inwardly. How he hated wars. Most of the Genins in the village wouldn't be able to handle it and Tsunade was doing everything she could to keep them protected from its horrors.

The death of enemies Naruto could handle. But would the boy be able to handle the deaths of his comrades? Iruka shuddered to think of the answer. He himself had been torn away from his family at a young age. He never wanted Naruto to experience that kind of pain, especially now that he finally had people to love.

"Iruka-sensei? Are you okay? You dazed out for a bit."

Blinking, Iruka looked at Naruto, who was staring at him strangely. He put on a grin. "Yes, yes, I'm fine. I was just thinking about some things," he said quickly. Of course, his mind was going into a bleak future that may or may not happen. He really was a pessimist. Hoping took too much effort sometimes. That was why he loved the children. They could do the hoping for him.

"Now, let's get you home!" exclaimed Iruka as he quickly paid for his and Naruto's meals.

"What…? But I only had three bowls!" whined Naruto as he was dragged away from the ramen stand.

Iruka grinned at him. "Don't worry. If you cooperate with Sasuke tomorrow, I'll treat you again," he said. He only mentioned Sasuke because he knew that Naruto and him had been on the edge as of late. Everything that happened with Orochimaru and Itachi had really torn those two apart somewhat.

"All right!"

Iruka smiled slightly as the hyperactive boy beside him ran ahead. Things really had taken a turn for the worse, but as long as people like Naruto were around Iruka felt they would get better. People like Naruto were the type to not give up easily and who would protect their loved ones to the death. That was why Orochimaru was erroneous in choosing Sasuke as his perfect vessel. Sasuke possessed a heart like Naruto no matter how jaded he was now. Maybe that was why Naruto was so furious with Sasuke when he went off to Orochimaru. He thought Sasuke was abandoning everyone. But in the end, it worked itself out. Both Tsunade and the rest of Konoha breathed a sigh of relief when Sasuke returned.

Friendship. It was a strong gift. Not even Sasuke could deny it. Perhaps that would be the final solution to the impending war facing Konoha. Iruka grinned. Everything was happening to the younger generation it seemed. Yet a nagging feeling in his heart told him otherwise. His turn was coming up and despite his devotion to his home, Iruka felt perturbed. Something dangerous was arriving—and he felt it had something to do with him.

* * *

Tsunade hated uninvited guests. She had been in the middle of the grueling task of trying to clean out her filing cabinets when her office door flew open. Two men stood at her doorway—one a regular Konoha Jounin, the other a foreigner Tsunade didn't care for. All she was concerned with was the fact that they had managed to sprawl out all her neatly piled papers on the floor without so much as giving her an apologetic glance. Young people nowadays had no respect.

"What is the meaning of this?" she snapped, placing her hands at her hips. It was then that she realized the foreign shinobi was tied up. She studied him for a moment before taking in the emblem on his forehead protector. "What are you doing here?"

Her tone had changed. It held wonder now as she stared at the tied-up shinobi. She waved her hand to dismiss his accompanying Jounin. "I thought your people treasured your independence," she said thoughtfully as she leaned against her desk. The shinobi remained standing by the doorway.

"Are you Tsunade-sama, the Hokage of Hidden Konoha?" he prompted.

Tsunade arched an eyebrow at the formality in the man's tone. "Yes, I am. And if I'm not mistaken, you're from the Hidden Village of Shade," she replied, tilting her head slightly to study the man's face. _He's cute,_ she thought with a grin.

"Yes, I am. I come here to bring you a message," the man said, his tone inexplicably blasé.

Tsunade sighed. "Well, tell me your name first for crying out loud. It's not every day a shinobi from Hidden Shade ventures into Konoha—hell, it's not every day your people even venture anywhere outside of your home as far as I'm concerned," she said, smiling slightly at the ruffled expression that crossed the man's face.

"My people send out shinobi to all parts of the world. We just simply do not wish to commune with the other villages. And my name is Shinya," he replied.

The older woman smiled. "Oh, so that's it, eh? Seems like your people are pretty arrogant to me. But no matter. What's this great message you have for me?" she queried.

Shinya looked slightly miffed at Tsunade's insult but proceeded in relaying the message nonetheless. "There has been a force released from within the Metal Country that all of the other villages will need to reckon with," he explained slowly.

"What kind of force are we talking about here?" asked Tsunade, crossing her arms.

"A demon," answered Shinya shortly.

Tsunade rolled her eyes. "Ah, of course. How wonderful. When did this happen?" she asked, her eyes flashing.

"A few days ago. It has been kept in captivity for over a decade but has managed to escape, wreaking havoc in my village. Its powers, however, aren't yet at full so that leaves us with some time before it will strike," replied Shinya.

"So why tell us, hm? The demon's already through with your home. And quite frankly, your people have never warned us of anything in the past," said Tsunade, raising an eyebrow.

Shinya lowered his gaze to the floor. "This demon is powerful. And we are warning you because we need your help in defeating it, or more specifically, someone from your village," he explained.

"Who?" inquired Tsunade sharply.

"Umino Iruka."

There was a brief pause where Tsunade went to her desk and pulled out a small bottle of sake. She poured it into a cup and downed it in one gulp before standing up again to face Shinya.

"Say that again," she ordered.

Shinya looked at Tsunade with some confusion. "Umino Iruka," he repeated unsurely.

Tsunade nodded and crossed her arms. "Yes, I thought you said that," she said calmly before placing both hands on the collar of Shinya's coat, lifting him a few inches up from the floor. "And what may I ask does Iruka have _anything_ to do with this?"

Her tone was fierce and she was starting to get the feeling that this Shinya was here on some sort of prank. Was he even a Shade shinobi? But then again, few people knew of the existence of a Hidden Shade. She narrowed her eyes at the young man in her grip.

"Please! He's very important to my village!" gasped out Shinya.

Tsunade glared at him dangerously. "Nonsense, Iruka's a descendant of Konoha. He has no relation to your people or village!" she exclaimed angrily. She didn't have time to deal with pranksters. "Now you go back home and when I find out who told you about Hidden Shade, I swear I will—"

"I am from the Hidden Village of Shade! Umino Iruka's mother, Yoshida Akiko, is from my village! Surely you know that she wasn't from Konoha," interrupted Shinya urgently.

Tsunade paused. She then dropped Shinya and rushed to her filing cabinet and began thumbing through the papers before finding Iruka's records. She scanned them thoroughly before finding his mother's name. She read her background reports and looked up at Shinya apologetically.

"Ah, sorry. You're quite right," she remarked, laughing.

Shinya sighed deeply. _And this is their Hokage? No wonder they're in so much trouble now._

"Yes, well, I only just became Hokage so I don't know everything you know. But in any case, why Iruka? He's a simple man with basic skills as a Chuunin. I'm sure there are stronger shinobi in your village who can fight off this demon," commented Tsunade.

Shinya was reluctant to answer. Tsunade was intrigued now.

"Iruka is essential in the defeat of this demon."

"Oh? And why's that?"

Tsunade stared hard at Shinya while he shifted uncomfortably under her scrutiny.

"It's in his blood."

* * *

TBC

Na no da (Gravi love, baby)! A bit more humor in this part—more so than I intended I'm afraid. And if you couldn't tell, Shinya is an original character. He'll probably be showing up later in the future but he doesn't play too major of a role so no worries. Other characters will be showing up as well. Hidden Shade and Metal Country belong to me! (Insert evil laugh.) I hope you all don't mind me creating this entirely strange world and throwing Iruka into it. This idea really just sparked out of nowhere and being the crazy writer I am, I couldn't resist it. :P


	4. Assignment

* * *

**The Esoteric**

**III**

* * *

Iruka had learned his lesson. Next time, when in consideration of having Naruto give advice to the Academy students, he would knock his head on a table with a resounding "no" for even thinking of such a thing. Granted, the children loved him. Naruto was spontaneous, he entertained them immensely, but when push comes to shove, he couldn't cooperate with Sakura if his life depended on it. Iruka was amazed at their behavior. Never did the possibility of _Sakura_ and Naruto not getting along cross his mind. But when the show began, it was her and Naruto who were arguing, albeit it was mostly in humor. Sasuke had behaved remarkably well, though he barely uttered a word even when Naruto tried egging him on.

It had been a very frustrating ordeal. Sakura had felt the need to correct the exaggerations Naruto had put into his stories and thus, it resulted with the two contradicting each other the entire afternoon while the children were confused as to who to believe. It would have been a great help if Sasuke decided to settle the matter by voicing out his views, but the boy really could have cared less. Iruka had developed the worst migraine by the time Naruto and Sakura finally settled their dispute, which had been surprisingly orchestrated by Konohamaru and his small posse.

When classes had ended, Naruto had insisted on Iruka bringing him and his team to Ichiraku in fulfillment of his promise of ramen he had made so fool-heartedly the day before. What was supposed to be a simple dinner turned out to be another rage of disputes between Sakura and Naruto. Amazingly enough, it was Sasuke who finally calmed both of them down in a few simple words, "Argue any more and I will kill both of you." Iruka had to wonder how someone as young as him, who hadn't even made his first kill yet, could make those words sound so impressive.

When the dinner was finally over, Iruka could barely maintain his joy. Team 7 had thanked him graciously and departed ways within a few seconds, Sakura to try and convince Sasuke to walk her home and Naruto being all too eager to do that task. Iruka had arrived home with the exhaustion of someone who had just accomplished a nearly impossible A-ranked mission. He had turned to sleep as an outlet for all his woes only to wake up an hour later, panting deeply and unnerved to a great extent.

Iruka's final resolution was the rooftop. There he laid now, staring at the moonless sky and trying to comprehend all that was revealed in his daunting dream. Visions of blood tainted his mind and he remembered a creature shrouded in darkness, fatigued and angered beyond all reason. It was in pain, yet it was seething with such a wrath that it refused to surrender to whatever comfort there was. Iruka had felt that rage—it was directed at him. He had been on the receiving end of the creature's eyes as it gazed down heatedly on him. Emotions impacted him like a wave against the sand—hatred, vengeance, and a thirst to kill like none other. Iruka was so disturbed even now that his hands refused to steady themselves.

The creature lashed at him, it beckoned him to come closer. In his dream Iruka did not, and for that he was grateful. If he had, he wasn't sure if he would have ever woken up again. Such was the force of his dream. Iruka didn't know how to react. Even the nightmares he suffered as a child after his parents had died weren't as dreadful as this one dream. Folding his arms over his pulled up knees, Iruka rested his head atop them resignedly. There wasn't much he could do now but wonder.

"Umino Iruka."

Haltingly, Iruka looked up at his visitor in surprise. He hadn't even heard her arrival. "Hokage-sama. To what do I owe the pleasure?" he greeted, sitting up straighter while trying to hide his fidgetiness.

The blond woman regarded him carefully for a moment before speaking. "I'm afraid I have some bad news for you," she began slowly.

Iruka narrowed his eyes. He knew it couldn't have been Naruto or any of the others—he had just seen them a few hours ago. Nevertheless, Tsunade's eyes held a look of hesitation as if her words were going to sting him greatly. Iruka waited for her continuation.

"I'm sending you off on a mission."

Blinking, the dark-haired man stared at Tsunade for a long while. Once the words sank in, he looked at the older woman bemusedly. "Why is that such bad news?" he asked mildly. A mission, his mind told him. The Academy had only just reopened and already he was off.

Tsunade sighed and crossed her arms. "Because this isn't your usual mission, Iruka. If I were to rank its difficulty'A' would only cover about a third of its risks," she replied, sighing deeply as she placed her hands in her pockets. "You're needed at the Hidden Village of Shade."

"What?"

Iruka could do little against hiding his bluntness. Hidden Shade was seldom mentioned to him as a child and the only reason it was even spoken about was because his mother had originated there. However, her people had declared her a pariah once she married Iruka's father and forbade her to ever return. _So why would they want the outcast's son? _Iruka looked at Tsunade expectantly.

"All right, I know you want me to get to the point so here goes: a demon has escaped their vicinity and is currently lurking around someplace trying to gather its power. They need you to help defeat it because it was your mother who originally sealed the demon and only her blood can do it. You're her son and the only living descendent of her clan who can do this task now. Otherwise, their village falls to crumbles and this demon unleashes its wrath on others—mainly shinobi villages like us."

Iruka would normally have been floored. He would normally have started ranting to Tsunade on how absolutely absurd her words were and berate her for it. He would normally have laughed at her wild imagination and leave. But there was something about her words that coincided too perfectly with his dream to be normal. He could only stare at her now in a daze as the images flew across his vision. The renewed emotions overloaded his senses and he cringed slightly, shaking his head to try and clear his mind.

"Are you all right?" asked Tsunade in concern.

She had hated doing this to Iruka. Every instinct in her told her not to put Iruka in a situation like this but it wasn't just him anymore. This threat endangered everyone in Konoha Village. And she was Hokage now. She couldn't favor one shinobi over the rest of the people—and she wouldn't have even if she weren't Hokage.

Iruka cleared his throat and looked up at Tsunade with a small smile. "I see. So when do I leave?" he asked quietly, trepidation obvious in his eyes.

Tsunade felt her heart bleed for him as she replied. "As soon as possible. Hidden Shade wants you to come to their land. They have some sort of special training they want you to undergo before the demon reaches full power. It's supposed to help you they said," she explained, remembering Shinya's graveness when he spoke these same words to her. She prayed that whatever training it was, it would aid Iruka in the fight.

The man was silent as he stared at the tiles on the rooftop, his fingers tapping on them idly. "It really has to be just me, huh?" he asked, knowing all too well the answer that would come.

"Yes."

Iruka breathed in deeply and exhaled. Well, his intuition had told him his turn to protect his home would soon be coming up—he just didn't expect it to be so abrupt and lonely.

"Well, I mean, others will be accompanying you, but the fight is a solo one."

The Chuunin looked up suddenly and Tsunade threw him a wild grin. "What? You didn't actually expect me to let you go off by yourself! The dangers of one shinobi traveling alone is immense—especially now—and you're going to need escorts to accomplish this mission," she explained, giving him a thumbs-up.

For the first time that night, Iruka managed a smile. "Who would want to join this crazy mission?" he inquired lightly.

Tsunade began thinking to herself as she brought up a finger to her lips. "Weeeeell…Genma was willing to join and so was Gai. I would have liked to send some ANBU agents, but at present I can't disperse any," she answered.

Iruka felt touched that there were actually some shinobi who would want to accompany him, a mere Chuunin. And these people weren't just ordinary shinobi—they were the elite Jounins. He shook his head at how fortunate he was.

"You're to journey to the Metal Country with Genma and Gai as your—err—guards. These two will remain with you for the entirety of your mission, unless some emergency comes up here," went on Tsunade officiously.

Iruka couldn't help but smile at her attempt at sounding businesslike. "But are you sure you want to spare them just for this one mission? And we don't even know how long it will take to finish," he pointed out hesitantly.

Tsunade flashed her eyes at Iruka dangerously. "Dare to go against my word again, _Iruka-sensei_, and I will personally guarantee you _not_ accomplishing this mission," she said menacingly. "Besides, this threat right now is realer than anything else facing against Konoha. If you do not stop that demon, we're all doomed. The Shade shinobi that came bearing this message was quite adamant about this fact. Not even the Sannin, if we were to ever join together again, would be able to stop it. _Your_ blood can only defeat the demon for some mysterious reason. The Shade shinobi didn't bother to explain why. They really are such a secretive bunch of people."

"I guess I should leave tomorrow then. I could say good-bye to Naruto," remarked Iruka as he stood up tall.

The blond woman watched Iruka for a moment. She had doubts, yes, as to whether or not the man could indeed do this task. But now, as she gazed upon his fiery expression and the pride in Iruka's stature, she rested more easily. The Third had raised his people well. Tsunade smiled slightly and tapped Iruka on his shoulder as he turned to leave.

"I don't usually send off my blessing with each mission, but I feel this one deserves it," she said before lowering Iruka's forehead protector and kissing him on the forehead. Fortunately, she was standing on the upward slant of the rooftop so she needn't tiptoe much. Afterwards, she pulled the protector back up with a grin.

Iruka stared at her in surprise before bowing low. "Thank you, Hokage-sama. I won't disappoint you or the village—I swear to it," he pledged loyally before disappearing from the rooftop.

Tsunade watched the empty area serenely.

"I certainly hope you won't, Iruka."

* * *

TBC

Iruka gets to be protected by G and G! (Sounds like a convenience store, no?) To be honest, half the reason I chose these two was because they both had names beginning with "G." It just looked funny. :P Oh, and yeah, I changed the way the title is formed. I'm always playing around with formats so, eh, don't mind me.

In other news, I was looking at the list of Naruto seiyuu when I discovered something. Iruka's seiyuu, Seki Toshihiko, did the voice of Fred Luo from Outlaw Star, who was undeniably gay while Kakashi's seiyuu, Inoue Kazuhiko, played Uesugi Eiri from Gravitation, who was also undeniably gay. So you see, these two were meant to be together! (Looks around sheepishly) Yeah, yeah, not a very strong point but I still found it most amusing. Ah, and sorry for the shortness of this part. They'll eventually get longer as the story progresses. I usually try to do a minimum of 2,000 words, but sometimes I don't make it. Anyhow, please review! They give me fuel to try and go beyond that 2,000 mark. ("I think I can, I think I can, I think I can!")


	5. Departure

* * *

**The Esoteric**

**IV **

* * *

It was almost the same scene from two days ago. Naruto was complaining to Iruka—only this time it was about him.

"No! Why do you have to leave now, Iruka-sensei?" wailed Naruto as he clung onto the older man's waist.

Sakura looked embarrassed by his behavior and hit him hard over the head. "Stop whining, Naruto! Konoha Village is more important, remember?" she reprimanded lightly. She smiled at Iruka. "I hope you come back safely, Iruka-sensei!"

Her tone was hopeful and encouraging. Iruka smiled kindly at her.

"Thank you, Sakura. Now I'll see you all later," he said, waving at Sasuke in particular, who was watching him intensely. He wondered what the boy was thinking. He hadn't said much at all in the past few days.

"Don't die, sensei," the dark-haired boy finally muttered quietly.

Iruka stared at him in shock. Sasuke merely gazed back at him calmly. Even Naruto had taken a pause in his ranting to stare at Sasuke in amazement.

"He speaks!" exclaimed the blond as he poked him in the arm.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and Naruto grinned.

"Oi, Iruka, we better get going now," called out Genma from a few yards away.

Iruka nodded and gazed at the trio one last smile before walking off. Genma was waiting patiently with his arms crossed and Gai was in the middle of lecturing Lee about not overstraining himself while he was gone. He also made him promise to not doing any intensive training. Then he went and made Neji and Tenten swear to watch over their teammate. Iruka smiled fondly at all of them. He still remembered them back from their Academy days. They were such rascals then.

"Ah, Iruka! Shall we get going now?" greeted Gai once Iruka reached him.

Nodding, Iruka waved once at the three pupils of Gai. "See you all later," he said warmly.

"Good-luck," chimed in Lee and Tenten. Neji offered a casual nod of the head.

Gai suddenly wrapped an arm around Iruka's shoulders. "Come, my friend! We have great distance to cover! Let this be an adventure of a lifetime!" he exclaimed.

"We're only going to the Metal Country," remarked Genma offhandedly. "There's nothing much there really. I wonder why Hokage-sama is sending us there."

Iruka looked at both of them confoundedly. "Wait, you mean you two don't know?" he asked in alarm. Hadn't Tsunade informed them of Hidden Shade? He sighed inwardly.

"Don't know what, Iruka?" asked Genma, arching an eyebrow.

The Chuunin lowered his gaze to the ground and cursed at Tsunade. Naturally, the woman probably thought it too much work to debrief the entire mission to Genma and Gai.

"There's a lot more to this mission than Hokage-sama revealed."

"Yeah, I figured as much. She did warn us that we could lose our lives—but it's like that with every mission," commented Genma.

Iruka looked at him with a sour smile. "Trust me, this mission is a little different from others," he said.

"Perfect! The great Gai is always up for challenges!"

Iruka bit lip. "The only thing is, is the challenge up for you?" he asked.

At Genma and Gai's questioning looks, Iruka sighed deeply.

"Let me tell you something about a place called the Hidden Village of Shade…"

* * *

Iruka had forgotten how much he loved traveling. The world outside of Konoha Village was a vast and wondrous place. Perhaps that was why the Third Hokage had taken him out of doing missions to take up the post of teaching—when Iruka was on missions, he would often go off on his own for hours on end while making his teammates worry. There were also times when he would come back to the site late and the platoon would end having to reschedule the entire plan. He was recklessly attentive to his own needs in those days—the missions barely made an imprint on his mind. All he had wanted to do was explore the woods, go swimming in the lakes, and run in the wild plains with the sun and moon as his only witnesses. Iruka smiled ruefully. He had no time for fun now, though.

The Metal Country was far up north, meaning that he and the others would have to pass through the Earth Country and quite possibly make an encounter with Hidden Stone. Their people and Konoha were on somewhat decent terms, but avoiding them the best as possible was what they opted for. Of course, nothing was guaranteed once they entered their country. And that was only after they went through Hidden Grass. Iruka sighed in frustration. Two shinobi villages before they reached their destination—it would probably take them an estimated week to arrive at the Metal Country.

"Ah, smell that breeze! It's always so nice to be going through a forest," commented Gai as he tilted his head back, grinning widely.

Genma regarded him indifferently.

Iruka shook his head at the two. They were polar opposites. Gai being his overenthusiastic and outgoing self while Genma being more reserved and calm. _We're a strange group,_ thought Iruka with a faint smile.

"What kind of training do you suppose Hidden Shade will have in store for you?"

Iruka looked at Genma in surprise. "I…I really have no idea," he admitted.

It was a topic he hadn't really thought much on. But now that the other man had mentioned it, he found himself mildly intrigued. As a child it hadn't been his father who watched over his training—it was his mother. She was the one who made him run through obstacles in the forest blindfolded. To teach him how to use his other senses, she had once told him. It was an esoteric method used only within her clan. And that was all Iruka ever found out about his mother's origins and of Hidden Shade.

"Hidden Shade…so do the shinobi in that village specialize in…shades?"

Iruka gazed at Gai in amazement. "Yes," he said, masking his exasperation. "That and…the manipulation of darkness and light, I believe."

"Eh? Sounds like an interesting village! I am glad that I have the chance to explore this place without that rival of mine here—he would probably copy all their techniques and try to use them against me!"

Gai's rivalry with Kakashi had never ceased to amuse Iruka.

"Sounds like you're afraid of Kakashi learning more than you," remarked Genma dryly.

"What?" asked Gai sharply, looking outraged.

Genma smiled slightly.

"I am appalled by your suggestion, Genma! _Me_ afraid of Kakashi? Ha!" boasted Gai, throwing his chest out.

Iruka shook his head as the Jounin began his tall tales of hardships. They had been traveling for a good two days now and the border separating Fire from the Grass's territory was nearing. Fortunately, they were taking a path that wasn't too near the village, but most likely they would still encounter shinobi. Iruka frowned slightly. By nightfall, they would be trekking through foreign land. He had been to Hidden Grass's territory a few times on missions—it was very similar to the Fire Country's terrain only with less forests and more open fields. He prayed they wouldn't meet with any of their shinobi.

"So what have you been doing—before you went on this mission?"

Genma arched an eyebrow. "Other missions of course. Hokage-sama doesn't spare us from any of them," he replied.

"Training!" exclaimed Gai.

Iruka chuckled at Gai's antics. "You mean doing more of those impossible tasks you assign yourself?" he asked.

Gai eyed him darkly. "They are only impossible if you believe it. When you put your mind up to something, anything is possible!" he retorted.

"Don't get him started on his speeches, please," murmured Genma into Iruka's ear as the latter tried to hide his laughter.

It was already too late for that, though. Gai had soon after began a new lecture on accomplishing one's dreams while they continued leaping through the forest. The man's passion surprised Iruka slightly. He had heard from other shinobi on Gai's somewhat eccentric personality. Nevertheless, he was a dependable man and Iruka was glad to have him on the mission. He had successfully managed to lighten up the mood entirely and Iruka felt less anxiety on his mind as he watched Gai rave about his childhood years.

"Though if he talks any louder he'll be alerting every shinobi within a mile radius," murmured Iruka to himself.

However, Gai didn't seem to take in the risks he was causing and continued inexorably. Genma half-listened while chewing on his ever-present needle, occasionally nodding or chuckling. Iruka didn't understand it. Perhaps he was being too paranoid. They were Jounins after all. He should have more faith in them. Sighing, Iruka looked on ahead, seeing the grassy plains just a few yards off. It seemed they had finally arrived at Grass's domain.

"Hey, Iruka. Have you ever been to this land before?" inquired Gai.

The dark-haired man nodded. "A few times in the past," he answered truthfully. When Konoha had been attacked, he was almost scared of the condition of his abilities when he was issued missions again. He had been teaching in the Academy for quite some time and he was unsure whether he would be able to fulfill them properly. Fortunately for him old habits died hard. This time round, though, he didn't slack off like he normally would have when he was younger.

"I guess it's time for us to walk a bit," remarked Gai as they stepped into the clearing.

They were out of the forest now. The clear night air greeted them and there was no moon present in the starlit sky. Iruka was grateful for that; it meant they could sneak by more unnoticeably.

"How I hate open areas," commented Genma as the three began running quickly through the tall grass.

Iruka smiled slightly. To be honest, he loved being in the wide field. True it did promote easy sighting by the enemy, but it was also less stifling than the forest, which was what Iruka loved the most. He had grown up surrounded by forests. Any chance to be in a different landscape was welcomed by him—even now.

"How about we search around for a bit and find a place to rest before continuing?" suggested Iruka. His stomach began grumbling in response. It had been well over a few hours since they last stopped.

Gai nodded. "I agree entirely," he said as they stopped. "Let's all spread out and meet back here in fifteen minutes!"

A quick round of nods and they were off, Iruka heading west, Genma east, and Gai north.

* * *

TBC

Dammit. Failed the mark again. This time I was close to reaching 2,000! I'm telling you the next part _will_ be longer. How do I know this? Well, er, because I already wrote it out. :D

And I also just realized something. I never "officially" identified the pairing in this story. Okay, well, if you couldn't tell, it's going to be GaiIru.

No, I'm just kidding. It's KakaIru all the way. :D And to add to that, the romance will be slow in the coming. That's the tradition in most of my stories. And with these two… They barely even talk to each other in the anime or manga so you can bet it'll be a while before they start feeling any butterflies in their stomachs whenever the other is around. Yup. I'm also a sucker for suspense and I _love_ making people wait. (BWAHAHA!) You peeps don't mind waiting, right? I promise it'll be worth it. :P After all, I can't disappoint my inspiration, right?

Damn, this was a long note. Well, uh, review if you may! XD

By the way...did I scare any of you when I said this would be a GaiIru?


	6. Flight

**Dedication:** _(oracle)_ Your reviews are the longest I've ever received in my time as a fanfiction writer and I love you to death for your wonderful details. And you were quite right about the previous chapter. The transistions were choppy. I was having difficulty getting about that. -.-;; Hopefully, this one's better. And the way you describe Gai and Iruka...I have never encountered someone who was so technical about it as you. Just reading those few sentences on how they complimented each other had me laughing, but not because I thought it hilarious; I actually do think they could work as a pair, but you know saying this will probably make every other KakaIru fan scream, shudder, or nervous. Hey, unconventional couples are best, right? But Kakashi and Iruka are unconventional enough I think. :P

* * *

**The Esoteric**

**V**

* * *

"Okay, we have learned our lesson! Never anger the shinobi of the Grass!"

Iruka could do little but roll his eyes at Gai's comment. The three of them were currently resting upon a high tree, one of the few in Grass's terrain. Iruka panted lightly as he recalled how close to danger they were. They really did have the worse luck, stumbling upon a group of ANBU scouts. Needless to say, they weren't pleased to see three shinobi from Konoha in their land. A lot of vain explanations and running ensued after that. If it hadn't been for Gai and Genma's clever usage of Kage Bunshin, they wouldn't have made it out. Fortunately, their running had brought them closer to the Earth Country, which they wouldn't have arrived until the next morning had they not been chased down by a mob of furious shinobi.

"Those people need to learn a thing or two about relaxing," commented Genma as he stood, flexing his cramped up muscles. "I haven't run like that in a while."

Gai grinned up at him. "That was nothing! I run fifty miles every morning," he replied cheerfully, not at all exhausted from their sprint.

Iruka sighed deeply. He could only wish he possessed that kind of stamina. "In any case, we best continue. The Earth Country is by far much larger and we'll have less chance of running into their shinobi," he suggested as he stood up, looking onwards.

It was yet another change in landscape. Whereas the Grass held nothing but open fields and sparse trees, the Earth Country was filled with mountainous terrain and caves hidden at every corner. Diverting the main village would be a simpler task. Iruka massaged the back of his neck, trying to ease the tension building up. It was nearing dawn and they hadn't received a single moment of sleep. It was of no consequence to them, though. Shinobi were often required to go on for missions with minimal sleep.

"Let's go then!"

Immediately, the three leapt off the tree and somersaulted agilely to land on the rocky ground. They stood still for a moment, almost waiting for an attack, but relaxed when nothing came.

"I don't know about you two but I think some rest is in calling," remarked Iruka as he suppressed a yawn. He eyed the area around them. "I know of a cave not too far from here. It's fairly deep and has multiple tunnels that lead to different exits."

Genma arched an eyebrow. "You talk as if you're native to this land," he said with some amusement.

Iruka smiled and shrugged. "Well…I've been here on more than a few occasions and I had a knack for not staying with the group so that left me with a lot of time to explore," he admitted.

"Ah! You are adventurous. I did not expect to see that in you, Iruka," quipped Gai with a wide grin.

The Chuunin chuckled halfheartedly. "Not really, Gai. More like I didn't give a damn," he explained with a taint of red on his cheeks. He did not need to be reminded of his past self now—it was quite embarrassing.

"So lead us to this cave. I could definitely use some sleep," cut in Genma, uncrossing his arms as he looked at Iruka expectantly.

The latter nodded and scanned the area once more. An old feeling of familiarity filled his senses as he spotted some landmarks. A few had been made by him, much to the dismay of his former platoon leaders. Iruka smiled as he caught glimpse of a boulder in the distance with two deeply engraved lines cutting through it. That was the mark.

"This way," he ordered before breaking into a dash himself. The other two Jounins followed suit soundlessly.

It was colder in the Earth Country, Iruka realized as the wind bit at his face. The land was made up mostly of uneven ground and little to no plantation flourished. The sky seemed to be perpetually grey and mountains were customarily seen in the horizon. It filled Iruka with a sense of awe. They were in an entirely different area now and the weight of the mission began to make itself known. Iruka narrowed his eyes. What would be awaiting them in Hidden Shade? This demon haunted him and it was the main reason why Iruka had taken to staying up for a majority of the day—nightmares plagued him every time he slept now, often leaving him gasping for breath when he woke up. Genma and Gai's words had been of little condolence to him.

The demon and him were connected, if that was in any way possible. He could feel its rage, its hatred, and its depravity. The feelings only increased as they neared their destination. Iruka hated it. Forcing himself to think about something else, Iruka concentrated on the cave. In a few more meters, they would reach it. Hopefully, there weren't some awaiting Stone shinobi lingering about.

"Hmm…nice place."

They came to a halt as the cave's entrance greeted them. It was wide and circular and darkness could be seen inside. Iruka smiled faintly. It was the same cave all right.

"If we're lucky, I might be able to find some stuff I stashed here," he said as they entered.

Gai arched an eyebrow at him. "You stored things in here?" he asked incredulously.

Iruka chuckled lightly. "Don't ask," he replied. He buried several different items in miscellaneous places around the cave—most being loose notes and sketches on the Earth Country's territory. However, he did bury a rather small purse filled with some money. Now that he thought back on it, Iruka didn't know why he had done that.

"You surprise me more and more, Iruka," remarked Gai with a thumbs-up.

Iruka stifled a grin as he nodded.

"So the real question is, who wants to stay up for first shift?" interrupted Genma, arching an eyebrow.

"I will! I'm still feeling quite energetic after that run," volunteered Gai cheerfully.

Iruka frowned slightly. "Are you sure it's not just the adrenaline running through your system?" he asked. He didn't mind staying up for another few hours—anything to escape his nightmares.

Gai shook his head and pointed a finger at Iruka dramatically. "Have faith in me, Iruka! I won't let you fall into the hands of the enemy," he reassured as he gave his infamous Nice Guy pose.

The Chuunin offered a small smile. Gai spoke with great confidence and it gave him a renewed sense of hope. He nodded quickly at him and headed towards the back of the cave where Genma had already spread out makeshift beds made out of extra blankets. When Iruka approached him, he smiled slightly.

"It may not be a fancy hotel but it'll work," he commented lightly as he lied down, closing his eyes.

And as soon as Iruka placed his head on the soft folded blankets, his mind began to drift. For once there was no impending visions and the dark-haired man fell into a deep slumber within minutes. The agitation and worry he felt all dissipated in an instant to a state of freeness. Iruka allowed his to mind slip away into the crevices of deep unconsciousness, but still maintained an alert exterior for any intruders. It was an instinct for any shinobi to never fall asleep entirely unless forced to. It was like being partially awake, with half your mind alert and the other half still dreaming. Iruka hadn't experienced a full deep sleep in quite some time since Konoha's invasion. And it would only be after several hours passed that he would wake up to see Gai leaning over him and Genma, apprehension written on his face. For a split moment Iruka felt that perhaps he was dreaming before he heard a faint hum in the background that sounded suspiciously like scuffling feet. Like he had never been sleeping, Iruka sat up and looked at him urgently.

"What happened?"

"Stone's shinobi," was all the man said as he hurried and packed away their things. "They're only a few meters away. You said this cave leads to different exits, right? You know of any that will lead us as far away from their village?"

Iruka nodded, a map of the cave's interior forming in his head automatically. It was a good thing he had been blessed with a photographic memory.

"Who's in there?"

The trio didn't bother to wait as their assailants approached them; they ran away quickly with Iruka once again in the lead as they journeyed deeper into the cave. Eventually they came to a large cavern where the air became brittle cold. Stalactites and stalagmites sprouted from the ceiling and ground. There were about a dozen small tunnels before them, each leading to a different place and some to dead ends. Iruka narrowed his eyes before he nodded towards the tunnel second to last on the right.

Darkness hit them full force and they could hear Stone's shinobi behind them, confusion ringing clearly in their voices as they tried to seek them out. Iruka swallowed deeply and began to trust in his instincts entirely as they walked on. The tunnel was small and running would only promote a higher chance of being captured. Gai and Genma were behind him, each placing one hand on his shoulder for guidance. Iruka closed his eyes and sped up his pace slightly. The cave had changed little in the past few years and its paths were still vivid in his mind. He led them through the zigzagging tunnel with confidence, avoiding every stray stone and obstacle with ease.

A dim light began to shine before them and Iruka breathed a sigh of belief. The Stone shinobi had long deserted them—he could tell that much by the silence around them. The only people he heard around him were Gai and Genma. As soon as they ventured out of the tunnel, the sun's early afternoon light greeted them. All dropped their guards wearily.

"I get the feeling you might know this cave better than those shinobi," remarked Genma amusedly.

Iruka smiled. "Perhaps. This cave is rather close to the border. We're further up north now. The village is a few miles southwest," he said, taking in their surroundings. They were up on the mountains and the wind blew around them harshly. He narrowed his eyes as he gazed at the sky. It may have been early in the day but by the looks of the clouds, it seemed like a storm was approaching.

"I say we continue then. Those Stone shinobi are a proud bunch of people. They won't let us go without a fight," interjected Gai suddenly as he stretched his limbs. "Mountain climbing is always a fun experience."

Genma rolled his eyes. "Is there anything you haven't done?" he asked.

"Nope," answered Gai happily.

"Look out!"

Iruka pushed away Gai and Genma forcefully as a large shuriken flew at them. The two Jounins looked at him in surprise before facing up against an angry group of Stone shinobi. Iruka frowned deeply. He was more than grateful for his mother's training now. If it hadn't been for her, he would never have been able to lead them out of the cave or save them from the shinobi's attack. But now it seemed they had finally met their match. Five shinobi stood before them and Iruka could tell that they were Jounins by the way they handled their weapons. He had barely been able to catch the shuriken's presence, meaning it was thrown with exponential skill and speed.

"So! You were Konoha's shinobi after all. Now tell us why you're intruding on our land so blatantly," announced one of the Jounins, presumably the leader.

"We don't mean you any harm, honestly. We were just passing by. Our mission is elsewhere," replied Genma calmly.

The leader arched an eyebrow. "Even so, you should have been able to sneak by without being caught. Has your village really become that weak?" he asked, eliciting smirks from the other Jounins.

Genma narrowed his eyes and before he could say anything else, Gai interrupted.

"How dare you insult Konoha!" he exclaimed.

Iruka bit his lip and suppressed his frustration as the Stone shinobi turned their gazes on him. _Gai is going to get us killed,_ he thought.

"You're Maito Gai, no? The Proud Green Beast of Konoha?"

Gai threw his chest out. "Ah, so you have heard of me!" he replied brightly.

The leader smiled slightly. "Sure thing. You have quite the reputation. But despite that, don't think we'll let you go so easily. You're in our land without a proper pass and all we have for an excuse is because you're on a mission? Stone and Konoha may have been allies in the past but now your village is reduced to crumbles. We won't let you escape," he said before the rest of his team attacked.

"Ah, fuck," cursed Genma before quickly dodging a kunai thrown at him.

Iruka agreed with him wholeheartedly. They were outnumbered even without the leader joining in on the fight. Two went for Gai, leaving him and Genma to deal with one each. The Chuunin didn't like odds at all. The Stone shinobi were strong and not to be reckoned with. That thought escaped his mind, though, as his opponent landed a particularly heavy blow on him, resulting with him flying headlong into a boulder.

"Iruka!"

Genma had called out to him. Iruka groaned painfully as he sat back up, his opponent standing before him sinisterly. He swore under his breath. It was times like these he regretted not training harder after he began teaching at the Academy. The shinobi formed several seals before him and Iruka could only watch in shock as the ground beneath him began to shake dangerously. A large chasm opened up and Iruka began falling.

_Not good,_ he thought bitterly as he tried to catch himself with the walls. But the chasm only widened each time, leaving Iruka falling into a deep hole of nothingness. The dark-haired man closed his eyes for a moment, trying to figure out a possible solution. Suddenly, he remembered a lesson. It was taught to him by the Third, albeit it involved a lot of convincing on his behalf. Biting his right thumb, Iruka quickly thrust his arm out before him.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

A sudden burst of chakra exploded before him as he found himself sitting on top of a giant eagle. "What's this? Iruka? I haven't seen you in quite a while!" exclaimed the eagle as he flapped his wings gracefully, bringing them up the chasm.

Iruka sighed in relief. "What can I say, Sora? I've been busy?" he replied, smiling. He leaned forward on Sora's back. "Now let's get out of here. I think the others are in some trouble."

The eagle complied without a word and began to head straight up in a flash that had Iruka hanging on tightly. Sora was relatively small compared to the animals Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru commanded but he made up for it with his remarkable speed and intelligence. Eagles were in general very wise and powerful but Sora was one of the younger ones, which made him much more interesting to be with. Iruka recalled how he first summoned him as a young teenager. It had taken him quite a while to master the technique and more often than not the Third had not been there to accompany him so when he finally did summon Sora, it created a feeling of accomplishment and pride that still made Iruka smile to this day.

As they flew out of the chasm, Iruka breathed in the fresh air deeply before looking down at his companions. Gai was still dueling with his two opponents and Genma seemed trapped in some sort of jutsu the Stone shinobi created. The shinobi that Iruka had fought with before was standing beside the leader, seemingly convinced he was dead. The Chuunin narrowed his eyes at the man.

"Hey Sora, drop me down beside those two standing in the distance will you?"

The eagle looked up at Iruka dubiously. "Are you sure you want to do that?" he inquired cautiously.

Iruka smiled. "Of course. I still have to pay that Jounin back for trapping me in that chasm," he replied cheerfully.

Sora snickered before lowering into a clean dive and sweeping by the two Jounins, allowing Iruka to jump off and land smoothly before them, kunai in hand. The two looked at him incredulously as he smiled at them.

"Hello again," he said before throwing the kunai at them.

In their shock, they had barely managed to avoid them before Iruka quickly formed a batch of mysterious seals, ending with the dragon. The two Jounins looked on in shock as patches of ice began formed around them, spreading up their legs and completely immobilizing them.

"Stick around for a bit," commented Iruka as the ice quickly consumed their entire bodies, turning them into nothing more but frozen sculptures. He turned to face Genma and Gai, whom were still having difficulty with their opponents. He frowned. _They must be pretty strong if Gai and Genma haven't defeated them yet._

Tilting his head to the sky, Iruka spotted Sora circling the area. He smiled to himself. Leave it to Sora to remain by the battlefield even when not fighting. "Mind helping out Gai for a bit?" he asked.

The eagle snorted. "Of course not. Do you know how long it's been since I've been in a fight?" he replied before swooping down to knock out one of Gai's opponents.

The man looked around in surprise before spotting Iruka. He looked overjoyed as he began waving his arms.

"Oi, Iruka! You're alive!"

Iruka stifled his laughter. "Apparently so," he replied before looking to where Genma was. He quickly and stealthily ran up behind his opponent and performed the same freezing jutsu while Genma distracted him.

"Well! Are you from Hidden Konoha or Hidden Mist, Iruka?" the Jounin remarked curiously as he eyed the frozen shinobi.

The younger man laughed. "It's my father's jutsu and actually, my great grandparents were from Hidden Mist so I do have some relation to them," he replied.

"How long will they remain this way?" inquired Gai as he met up with them.

"Not that long. So I'd say we better get a move on," answered Iruka as he looked up at Sora. "Mind giving us a lift?"

At once Gai and Genma looked up in question before gasping at the sight of the giant eagle descending before them.

"W-What? Iruka, you know how to summon animals?" stuttered out Gai in amazement.

The Chuunin chuckled embarrassingly. "Um, yes. It took a lot of begging, though. And not to mention a lot of chakra on my behalf," he replied as he amounted the eagle. He looked at the two Jounins and gestured for them to follow. "Come on. This is Sora. If we ride him we can be out of Earth Country by evening."

Without a word Gai and Genma followed and rested atop the eagle a bit unsurely.

"We won't hinder your speed will we?" asked Genma.

Sora's feathers ruffled in annoyance. "What? Do you have no faith in me?" he retorted indignantly before rising from the ground with a mighty lift. All three men were jostled forward and Sora smiled a bit apologetically. "Sorry about that. Now where exactly did you want to go, Iruka?"

The man smiled tightly. "Take us as far into the Metal Country as you can go," he answered.

Sora nodded and with a sudden lurch, began heading north in an elegant dive.

* * *

TBC

Mischievous teenager Iruka (plus) Sandaime (plus a dash of) blackmail (gives you) summoning lesson.

And I think it's safe to say I went over the 2,000 mark with this one. :D Oh, and if any of you were missing Kakashi, he'll be making his reemergence in the next part. ;)


	7. Doubtful

* * *

**The Esoteric**

**VI**

* * *

He was craving another mission. As absurd as it sounded, Asuma couldn't deny its truth. It had been a week since his last scouting assignment with Kakashi and Kurenai and since then there hadn't been single thing to do but sit around smoking all day long. The hiatus in action was appealing for a while until eventually Asuma grew bored of seeing his own pupils. There was only so much "supervising" he could do while they did their mediocre tasks before his patience broke. He was never meant to be a teacher.

Sighing, the Jounin released another puff of smoke before looking at the game before him. He was losing miserably. It would have been embarrassing if he hadn't known of Shikamaru's unprecedented intelligence.

"You don't seem to be as focused as usual," drawled the boy's voice lazily.

Asuma glanced at him and shrugged. "Where are your teammates?" he asked before inwardly correcting himself. Technically, Shikamaru was no longer a part of Team 8 now with his new status. He still had yet to grow accustomed to the change.

Shikamaru gave derisive snort. "Ino's probably with Sakura engaging on some Sasuke dispute and Chouji is most likely at a restaurant or some other," he replied offhandedly as he contemplated his next move.

"Don't you have any missions?"

"I could ask you the same question."

The Jounin gave a snort of amusement. "I wonder what's on Hokage-sama's mind," he wondered aloud before glancing at the game with mild amusement. "It seems like I lost."

Shikamaru grinned. "Seems that way," he agreed.

Asuma sighed and stood up, stretching his back. "Well, I think I'm going to pay Kakashi a visit," he announced before looking sharply at Shikamaru. "You just relax and take in this break because I can definitely say for a fact it will probably be the last one you'll have for a while."

The younger boy rolled his eyes and Asuma grinned before departing. One week off a mission and he was already rotting away into boredom. He shook his head exasperatedly. He never thought a vacation could be so irksome. And it seemed like Genma and Gai were gone, too. Asuma narrowed his eyes. Two of the elite Jounins gone and Tsunade hadn't even said a single word to them. It was very suspicious indeed.

As he stepped into a glade, Asuma looked up at the sky. The piercing sound of a falcon could be heard as it circled the area. The Jounin arched an eyebrow. "Seems like the Fifth has something for us," he muttered to himself before turning to run in the opposite direction. "What's going on now?"

Suffice to say, Asuma was growing curious. If he couldn't go on a mission then the least he could do was settle a mystery here in Konoha. Where had Genma and Gai gone? The forest whipped past him as he headed towards the Hokage's office.

"Asuma!"

Briefly turning around, Asuma saw Kurenai catching up to him. "How's it going?" he greeted.

"Taking the scenic route are we?" she replied, smiling slightly.

"I felt like being late—Kakashi gets away with it all the time so why can't I?" he said, grinning mischievously.

Kurenai shook her head wearily. "That attitude is going to get you killed one of these days," she muttered under her breath.

"Eh? What did you say?"

"Nothing, nothing."

The two Jounins entered the main building, giving the ANBU agents a faint greeting.

"Have any idea why Hokage-sama wants to see us?" inquired Kurenai as she sat down on the lounging sofa.

Asuma scratched his head with some mild confusion. "Have no idea," he answered before the doors flew open to reveal Tsunade with Aoba trailing behind. Asuma stared at the two with mild confusion. "_Okay_, what the heck is going on?"

Tsunade glared at him. "Watch your tongue, Sarutobi," she reprimanded sharply before looking at her watch impatiently.

"Ah, good afternoon my fellow—"

"Late again, Kakashi," interrupted Tsunade harshly as she stared down hard at the Jounin, who had just popped in through a window.

Kakashi chuckled sheepishly. "Well, you see there was—"

"I don't care for excuses," cut in Tsunade again before facing the four Jounins. "I have some news for you. I'm sure you've realized the rather impromptu break you've been given."

There was a low murmur of voices as they nodded. Tsunade took a deep breath. "Well, that ends today," she said. There wasn't any sound of complaints but the older woman could see it all in their eyes. She began to smile slowly. "You know that Gai and Genma are missing. I will inform you now of where they have been."

The Jounins looked at her inquisitively. Tsunade smirked inwardly. _Now I got their attention._ Clearing her throat, she took out a scroll from her coat pocket and laid it out on the conference table. It revealed the entire geography of the land and all the countries and shinobi villages. Everyone gathered round to gaze at it searchingly.

"Hidden Shade? And it carries the same symbol from that shinobi we captured last week," murmured Kurenai in amazement. She looked up at Tsunade. "What does this have to do with Gai and Genma?"

The older woman smiled to herself. "That is where they are going now," she answered brightly.

"Hokage-sama—excuse my bluntness—but you're being extremely vague," remarked Asuma with a frown.

Tsunade grinned wickedly. "Doesn't the curiosity kill you? Well, though you may be aware of Gai and Genma's disappearance, I wonder how many of you notice another shinobi's absence," she calmly said, looking at the Jounins in the eye.

"Iruka is also gone," replied Kakashi quietly.

The blond woman smiled winsomely at him. "_Correct_! Now how did you realize this, Kakashi?" she inquired, arching an eyebrow.

The silver-haired man shrugged. "Naruto told me. He was raving about how long it would take for Iruka to return," he answered simply.

Tsunade bristled with suppressed resentment. "You mean to tell me you wouldn't have even known had Naruto not asked about him? Kakashi, I would have thought that you of all people would realize when a shinobi from your _own_ village vanishes—"

"Pardon the intrusion, but what does Iruka-sensei have to do with this?" queried Aoba confoundedly. He was starting to get a little fidgety from all the verbal debates. Standing around and waiting for people was never his style.

Tsunade shot Kakashi one last glare before brushing aside a stray lock of hair from her face. "As I was saying, Gai and Genma have gone to the Hidden Village of Shade—to accompany Iruka on his mission," she continued, gauging everyone's reactions. When there were no outbursts of gasps, she frowned bitterly. _Why is it so hard to surprise people nowadays?_ She crossed her arms. "Iruka is to track and kill a demon," she finished mundanely.

This time everyone did gasp. Tsunade snickered inwardly.

"Wait. _Our_ Iruka? The Chuunin teacher at the Academy?" cried out Kurenai in shock.

"The very same one. How many people in this village have his name anyway?" replied Tsunade amusedly. A low murmur of surprise and puzzlement echoed throughout the office. Tsunade uncrossed her arms and her gaze turned serious. "However, this is no time for games. I'm sending you all off to the other main shinobi villages to warn them of the danger from Hidden Shade. This is official work we're dealing with so I'm giving you passes; there won't be any need to sneak in."

She then took out four slips of paper and handed it to each Jounin. "Asuma, you handle the Sand. Kurenai, you're heading off to Hidden Stone—make sure you don't anger them; they have high egos. Aoba, you're off to Hidden Mist. Play around too much and I'll have your neck. Shizune's already gone off to deal with Hidden Cloud. And as for you, Kakashi," she paused before placing a hand at her hip, "you're going to Hidden Shade to assist Gai and Genma. Somehow, I don't think having those two alone will cut it for this mission. And Iruka could use your help. By now they should be in the Metal Country so you better hurry."

The pass was then placed in his hand. Tsunade smiled slightly as she gazed at the others. "Now, are there any questions?" she asked.

"Yeah. What exactly are we warning them of besides a demon? I'm sure they'll want more details than that," quipped Asuma.

The older woman frowned deeply and massaged her temples tiredly. _Why did I accept this job?_ "I'm sure none of you know of Iruka's ancestry so let me inform you now: his mother was from Hidden Shade. Before she came to Konoha she sealed away a demon. However, that demon has escaped and is now threatening every shinobi alive. Iruka's the only one who can seal and destroy this demon properly. So now he's off to do some training at Hidden Shade. If he doesn't fulfill this mission, we're all goners. Is that enough for you?" she explained tonelessly.

Asuma blinked in surprise, several ashes from his cigarette's end dropping to the floor. "Yeah," he replied numbly.

"Iruka is supposed to defeat this on his own?" inquired Kurenai worriedly.

Tsunade waved a hand carelessly at her. "Well, that's what Hidden Shade said but I for one am not letting him do this alone," she said with a smirk before looking at Kakashi. "So? You have any complaints about helping out our dear dolphin?"

The Jounin stared at her calmly before disappearing from the room with a puff of smoke.

Tsunade rolled her eyes. "'Che, no manners whatsoever," she grumbled before leaving the office altogether.

Silence persisted for several more moments and Asuma finally broke down. "_Umino Iruka_? A demon slayer? Am I allowed to be a little horrifically shocked at this? And how come we never found out about Hidden Shade before? Did they just sprout out from the ground overnight?" he cried out.

Kurenai stood contemplating silently while Aoba began cleaning his glasses.

* * *

The air was clean and the breeze was refreshing. Kakashi rested atop a tree with one leg dangling below casually. In his hand was a volume of Icha Icha Paradaisu but for once his mind couldn't seem to concentrate on the story. He sighed and closed the book unenthusiastically before taking out the pass that had only been handed to him a few hours earlier. He eyed it strangely. He had no quarrels with going to a secret shinobi village but it just seemed so unreal that for once, he was to watch the action from an outsider's point of view. This was Iruka's mission and he was to aid him. It was very unnerving indeed. How was a Chuunin supposed to handle a full-grown demon? It was obvious Tsunade harbored the same concerns as well despite her aloofness. Kakashi frowned deeply before throwing a kunai at a bush.

A brief yelp of surprise was sounded and the silver-haired man opened his book once again. "What is it now?" he called out.

A blond head poked out from the bush and on his face was an expression of aggravation. "Why don't we have any missions, Kaka-sensei?" asked Naruto as he climbed out of the shrub with some difficulty. His pants latched itself onto one of the thorny stems and he fell flat on his face with a resounding thud.

"Naruto, you klutz!" exclaimed Sakura exasperatedly as the boy sat up awkwardly.

Sasuke followed behind much more quietly and Kakashi stared down at him sharply before looking back at the other two. "You should be appreciative for the break. Have fun before your missions start up again, but don't cause too much trouble," he said. He was concerned about leaving them alone—especially Sasuke and Naruto. He would have to speak with Tsunade about them before he left.

"Eh? Are you going away, Kaka-sensei?" inquired Sakura wonderingly.

The silver-haired man nodded. "Yup," he answered.

Naruto stood up with resolution as he pointed his finger at him. "You're leaving us _again_!" he cried out indignantly. "I absolutely refuse to accept this! You're supposed to be teaching us, guiding us—" he shouted before Kakashi stopped him mid-sentence.

"I'm helping out Iruka."

The blond froze at these words. "Iruka-sensei?" he repeated quietly before launching into another rampage. "And what's taking him so long! It's already been a week! He's supposed to—"

"Be quiet," warned Sasuke before Naruto could say anything else. The latter looked at him quizzically before facing Kakashi humbly. "Is he in trouble?" continued the dark-haired boy impassively.

The Jounin smiled inwardly. _He really doesn't miss a thing._ "Oh, don't worry. He'll be all right," he replied winningly.

Sasuke's eyes darkened. "So he is. And Hokage-sama is sending you to help out," he deduced.

Kakashi stared at the boy with some amazement. _Since when was he able to start reading through me? _He began laughing. "Really, you're becoming paranoid, Sasuke," he retorted, masking his emotions. Worrying Naruto was not on his things-to-do list and if this conversation went on any further, he would be accomplishing just that. "Play nice with the other teams. Asuma and Kurenai have missions as well so it'll just be you nine, plus Gai's own students. Have a mini-tournament or something," he advised before vanishing.

Sasuke stared at the spot where Kakashi was musingly while Naruto began vocalizing his protests.

"What do you mean Iruka is in trouble? Do you know something, Sasuke? Tell me!" the boy cried out before grabbing Sasuke's collar forcefully without realizing. The latter glared down at him darkly and immediately Naruto released his grip with a nervous laugh. "Uhh…well! Let's go and visit Kiba! He said he wanted to spar with me!"

"Kiba? Does that mean Shino will be with him?" wailed Sakura as a tremor went through her body. "He creeps me out."

Naruto looked at her exultingly. "Have no fear, Sakura-chan! I'll be there so you don't need to worry!" he exclaimed bravely.

Sasuke rolled his eyes at his friend's antics before remembering Kakashi's behavior. The other man was starting to lose his touch. He was able to read the usually unreadable Jounin easily this time. Iruka was in danger. Normally Sasuke wouldn't think twice on it since he was a Chuunin but why then would he need three elite Jounins to aid him on one simple mission? The situation must have been pretty bleak for Kakashi to appear so edgy. The other Jounins were leaving, too. What could be so important as to leave all of them unattended? That itself was a risky thing to do. Sasuke glanced at the Hokage's office building in the distance. It seemed like some undercover work would be required to find the answers. And that was fine with him.

* * *

TBC

Sasuke the spy. I always thought he would be good as one you know. (Insert Mission Impossible theme.) All right, all right, so this story can officially be labeled as AU in accordance to the manga. (Grr..) And, uh, sorry for the wait. A month passes by quick! I'm also taking this story a bit slower now, you know, to try and figure out what I want to do and stuff. Yeah. :D


	8. Encounter

* * *

**The Esoteric**

**VII**

* * *

Iruka was currently wading in a lake. Gai and Genma were also scattered around him, sputtering mouthfuls of water after their rather abrupt drop from the air. The Chuunin looked up and saw Sora drifting above them guiltily.

"Next time, Sora, tell us when you're feeling tired," he remarked as he began moving towards the shore.

The eagle laughed uncomfortably. "Eh, sorry, Iruka. You know how I like to push myself. But you're out of the Earth Country now. I'll be heading back home if that's all right," he said.

Iruka nodded absently as he waved a hand. "Sure thing. Thanks, Sora," he called out before the eagle disappeared with a large puff of smoke. He glanced back at Gai and Genma apologetically. "You'll have to excuse Sora. He hasn't been summoned in a while so he got a little carried away."

The two nodded understandingly.

"I do love swimming so it's of no consequence!" exclaimed Gai as he rapidly began treading back to the shore.

Iruka watched him with mild awe before following after him. Once out of the water, he wrung out his clothes and hair with a sigh. He eyed their surroundings inquisitively. The Metal Country looked very much like its neighbor—mountainous and vast. However, it was much warmer and the sky shone a brilliant blue. The sun beamed down on them, quickly drying up their clothes. Iruka smiled slightly. _So this is mom's home, huh?_ He turned around suddenly when he heard a loud snap.

Two shinobi appeared before them, each with an unsheathed katana in hand. Iruka narrowed his eyes and looked at the emblems on their forehead protectors. They were that of Hidden Shade—two half circles horizontally cut, leaving a tiny gap in the middle with the top half black and the bottom half a darker grey. The Chuunin blinked in surprise.

"Umm…"

"Umino Iruka?" interrupted one shinobi.

Iruka glanced at Gai and Genma, who slowly nodded back at him. "Yes," he said.

The shinobi lowered his weapon but his partner remained on guard as he walked forward to greet them. "I am Shinya. Welcome to the Metal Country," he greeted, offering his hand.

Iruka grasped it unsurely before Shinya suddenly turned his hand over, piercing it with the tip of his kunai. The Chuunin gasped in momentary surprise before pulling his hand away viciously. "What do you—?" he began before Shinya raised his kunai.

Iruka's blood gleamed on its edge and he watched as the young shinobi took out a vial filled with a strange green liquid from his pocket. Shinya uncorked the bottle to place several drops on the places where Iruka's blood had fallen. As soon as the two met they issued a violent hissing sound before evaporating altogether. Shinya's kunai was left spotless. He pocketed it before smiling at Iruka.

"So you are the real Umino Iruka," he said before looking at Gai and Genma warily. "Who are they?"

"_We_ are Iruka's protectors!" exclaimed Gai fearlessly. Genma rolled his eyes.

Shinya frowned slightly. "No outsiders are allowed in Hidden Shade," he said pointedly before turning his eyes on Iruka. "Did Tsunade send them with you?"

The Chuunin nodded. "Please, let them through. Their Konoha's elite, they won't do anything to harm your people," he said pleadingly.

Shinya snorted with obvious amusement. "Harm _our_ people? I was more worried about their safety. But if you insist, I guess I have no choice. Follow me," he replied before turning away. He walked up to his partner. "Oh, and this is Takeshi. You can lower your weapon by the way."

Takeshi grunted and sheathed his katana warily. He glared at Iruka and the others before turning away to walk ahead haughtily. Shinya shook his head at his partner's behavior. "He's a little antisocial. Don't worry too much," he said reassuringly to Iruka.

"So where is Hidden Shade? It looks like there's nothing here," quipped Genma.

Shinya studied him for a moment before slowly smiling. "Oh, you'll see soon enough. There's a reason why no shinobi has ever been able to find our home. You'll be the first outsiders we've welcomed in over a century," he explained wryly.

"A century? That is quite an honor indeed!" gasped Gai as he grinned happily.

Iruka chuckled before looking at Shinya curiously. "What was that green liquid you took out before?" he inquired.

"That will be explained soon enough as well," replied Shinya enigmatically.

The Chuunin frowned slightly but kept his protests to himself. There was no point in causing conflicts now that they had just been introduced. The five continued forth on a dusty path that was about as smooth as a rusty blade. They climbed over boulders, jumped over running streams, and came across several spouting geysers. Iruka marveled at the diversity of creatures roaming around. The Metal Country's terrain varied with each turn they took and this was probably how Shade kept hidden from outsiders for so long.

After a while, Iruka realized they were journeying upwards. The temperature seemed to be increasing and drops of sweat were gathering at the corners of his forehead. He wiped them away with his sleeve and breathed in deeply. The ground was gravelly and layers of black soot covered it. The Chuunin narrowed his eyes and looked ahead where Shinya and Takeshi were walking, not bothered at all by the smoldering heat.

"Are we…?"

"Yes, we're nearing the top of a volcano," replied Shinya without glancing back.

Iruka's eyes widened.

"_What_? A volcano?" cried out Gai in dismay.

"Is your village in a volcano?" queried Genma offhandedly.

Shinya turned around and smiled amusedly. "If our village was in a volcano, we would have been reduced to cinders a long time ago. No, our village is near the volcano—in a deep cave underground," he replied.

Iruka blinked in surprise. "Your village is underground?" he asked in wonder.

"Well, the pathway is. The village itself is above ground."

"Wait, then why are we going underground to go above ground?" inquired Gai confusedly.

Shinya looked at him. "There are many entrances to our village and the reason why we are leading you to this one is because it is the most difficult one to go through," he answered.

"So that it will discourage us from coming again," concluded Genma.

"Precisely," said Shinya, eyes glittering. "Had Iruka come alone, we would have led him through an easier path but because you two are here, we won't be taking any chances. Our village has a reputation to keep you know."

Iruka could see the reason in this, though he didn't understand it fully. He had no idea Hidden Shade was so adamant about keeping their secrets. Gai and Genma were silenced by Shinya's words and continued on quietly. No doubt they were taking his words into consideration. Iruka thought them to be somewhat cruel but accepted them as Shinya's duty in protecting Shade's honor.

The heat was almost unbearable by now. Iruka could see the top of the volcano clearly and the red glow that it was emitting. Shinya and Takeshi then made a sharp turn that took them on a detour slightly further away from the volcano's top until they reached a rocky cliff where a large and dark pathway welcomed them. There they stopped to rest for several minutes. Takeshi went on ahead into the cave and Shinya passed on a large canteen of water to the others.

"Takeshi will inform the village of your arrival. We'll be there shortly," he said.

"You're not affected by this heat?" gasped out Gai as he wiped his forehead with a sleeve.

Shinya smiled. "I've traveled this land every day since I was a child. You get used to all sorts of conditions here," he replied.

"I noticed that," remarked Genma dryly. "Is there any particular reason why this region is so unstable? One moment we're walking through an ice field, the next a grass field. It doesn't make any sense at all."

Shinya shrugged. "That's the geography. My people have never solved its riddle nor do we care much about it. Home is home," he said before standing up. "Are you all ready now?"

"How much further is it?" inquired Iruka.

"Not too long. After we leave this cave it's pretty much there," answered Shinya as he placed the cap back on the canteen Gai handed to him. "And a little warning, don't expect Shade to be small. We may be an obscure shinobi village but there are plenty of us. And we don't take to living in the…_traditional_ way as you would say."

Iruka arched an eyebrow. "What do you mean?" he asked. Shinya was being all too mysterious and his implications were near torturing him.

The young shinobi grinned brightly. "You'll see soon enough. Come!" he said as he began directing the way into the cave.

The others followed quietly, all the while sharing confused glances with one another. Iruka could barely suppress his curiosity from leaking through to interrogate Shinya relentlessly. He merely lagged behind Gai and Genma, recording every detail of his surroundings into his mind. It wasn't as dark as the cave in the Earth Country, but it was a good deal hotter considering its location. Iruka noticed, however, as they moved on the air seemed to get cooler and less humid. Eventually, water could be spotted gathering in small pools in the corners and Iruka could feel a slight chill lingering in the air. He looked onwards towards Shinya and frowned slightly. His earlier words still echoed in his mind. Perhaps it would have been better if he had gone on this mission alone. A brief smile crossed the Chuunin's face. But Tsunade would never have let him get away with that.

"Is it just me or have we been going through a lot of caves?" murmured Genma mildly.

Iruka grinned at the older man. "That does seem to be a reoccurring theme," he replied.

"Are there any other shinobi coming with you, Iruka?"

The dark-haired man thought to himself for a moment. "I don't think so. But Hokage-sama can be unpredictable. I don't know what she'll do. But as far as I'm concerned it's just the three of us," he answered.

Shinya nodded. "Right then," he murmured to himself.

Light soon approached the dim cavern. Iruka looked up questioningly as the end of the cave drew closer. He hadn't even noticed it before, but there had been small torches lining up the walls of the cave. He narrowed his eyes at this. If Shade was so careful about keeping their village a secret, then wouldn't leaving a bright path of fire be contradicting that entire idea?

"Did Takeshi light these up for us?"

Shinya arched a slim eyebrow but did not face Iruka. "Yes. Leading three men in the dark would have been too challenging even for me," he said calmly.

"Oi, we would have been all right!" exclaimed Gai indignantly.

"I'm sure," replied Shinya with a hint of sarcasm.

Gai pursed his lips but didn't say anything in response.

"So the village will be there when we get out?" inquired Genma.

Shinya nodded. "Yes," he answered shortly.

The foursome soon came to halt at the cave's exit. The scene that greeted them was greatly unlike the region they had just walked from. Tall blades of grass stood swaying in the breeze and the air was refreshing and dry. The sky was an endless sea of blue and not a single cloud tainted its uniformity. Beyond the horizon, a tall mass obscured the scenery. Iruka narrowed his eyes and scrutinized it further before realizing what he was seeing.

"Is that…?"

"Yes, that it the Hidden Village of Shade," cut in Shinya before Iruka could finish.

The village was in the shape of a mighty fortress made up of tall edifices. It was unlike anything Iruka or the others had ever seen before. Around the main village there stood a high gate made of metal, but that did little to hide what it was protecting. Iruka breathed a gasp of amazement.

"It's larger than any city I've ever been to," remarked Genma impressively.

"How did you manage to build all that?" asked Gai in astonishment.

Shinya smiled slightly. "We are in the Metal Country. There are plenty of resources available to us," he answered as he waved his hand. "Come now. I'm sure you didn't come all this way just to look at it."

Iruka barely suppressed his excitement as they trekked through the plains. The wind was cool, and every worry that had crept up in his mind was erased at the very moment he saw his mother's home. Iruka focused on the metal fortress and thought to himself. _This was the place my mother grew up in—the same place that exiled her once she married father. _The Chuunin narrowed his eyes but chose to ignore that thought. This was not the time for reminiscing on the past nor to hold any grudges. He had a duty to perform for _his_ home now—Konoha, and let any enemy be damned if they tried to interfere with him and his goal.

"This is quite thrilling, no, Genma?" remarked Gai with a wide grin on his face.

"Hm," the Jounin replied, though there was a glimmer in his eye.

Shinya glanced at the three companions. "You'll be welcomed as guests of course. Our people aren't all that hostile to outsiders. Some may be very cruel to you at first, though. There was quite the controversy in even allowing Iruka to come. But then the Council decided that we would have to throw away our policy of isolation to ensure the safety of the other villages and to regain our honor," he explained.

Gai arched an eyebrow. "Eh? Council? Your village doesn't have a Hokage like ours?" he inquired curiously.

Shinya smiled slightly. "Our methods of ruling are different as well," he remarked amusedly.

They walked on for several more minutes before finally approaching the front gate. Iruka gazed up at it wonderingly. It towered before them like a lead giant and not a single glimpse of the city behind it could be spotted now. Shinya walked before the door and placed his hand on a small circular indentation on the gate. Suddenly, a low groan was sounded throughout the barren plain and the doors slowly swung open. Iruka blinked in surprise before Shinya turned to him and the others with a charming smile.

"Welcome to the Village of Hidden Shade—known by few others as the metallic wonder of the world. Industry and science are firmly integrated within our culture as well as the study of the dark arts and concealment. Woe to those that betray our home and people."

Iruka stared at the bustling city before him. Crowds of people were strolling about, minding their own business as they shopped and talked. They were dressed in strange attires made up of silver, blue, black, and white shades and all of them held a dignified look as they walked. Iruka smiled in small astonishment. They seemed so different, the people of Hidden Shade, yet when he saw the children and teenagers running around playfully, he knew they really weren't.

As they continued walking down the streets, Iruka allowed his curiosity to run full throttle. He took in everything he saw—the paved roads, the tall and glittering buildings comprised of metal and glass, and the sophistication and ingenuity behind the scientifically advanced gadgets that ran about everywhere. Shinya had been right on target when he that Hidden Shade was an industrious city; Iruka just never imagined how far they had gone with their technology. It was like being in a completely different world.

"People are staring," remarked Genma casually.

Iruka looked at him in slight surprise before slowly realizing the truth behind his words. People on the streets had blatantly stopped what they had been doing just to stare at the three foreign shinobi strangely and with wariness. Iruka smiled sheepishly and tried to remain calm. Shinya didn't even seem to notice their observers.

"I'm taking you up to the main tower where the Council meets. They've been awaiting your arrival with anticipation," he explained.

"Um, right," replied Iruka, albeit a bit more nervously than he wanted. He cowered a bit from the people's unwavering scrutiny. It was one thing to acquire people's attention through making a loud commotion, but all they were doing was just _walking_ and the people stared at them as if they were some kind of spectacular exhibition. Their gazes were also empty and cold. Iruka could read nothing of what the people were thinking and that did little to soothe his mind.

"Oi, oi! We are the three shinobi from Konoha Village! I am known as the Proud Green Beast, Maito Gai! These are my companions, Shiranui Genma and Umino Iruka! Now that we are through with the introductions, and you are well aware of who we are, you may stop looking at us like we are your ENEMIES because we most certainly are NOT!"

Iruka barely managed to suppress his surprise at Gai's sudden declaration. Even Genma was staring at the Jounin with a mixed expression of amusement and shock. The people, however, were the ones most affected. Apparently, they were not accustomed to such loud and boisterous individuals and quickly returned to their own business with a certain air of shyness. Had it been anyone else who said those words they might have been mobbed, but because Gai had said it in such a reassuring and enthusiastic manner that was routine for him, he managed to not only ease the citizen's minds but also acquire a great amount of respect from them as well. Iruka smiled at the Jounin.

"He's an interesting character. In a matter of a few sentences he managed to gain a few admirers," quipped Shinya, before eyeing Iruka seriously. "And that's a hard feat to accomplish here with our people being so critical."

Iruka arched an eyebrow. "Why's that?" he asked.

Shinya shrugged. "Most of the people here are well-established workers with trades of their own. They're used to being criticized and criticizing, so that makes us a rather cold-hearted bunch of people. People like Gai are rare around here. Only the children retain a similar kind of attitude. Even our shinobi are very strict and disciplined due to their upbringing. Our people take everything with a grim sort of seriousness and respect. Gai would basically be considered a radical in our society, and for that people will come to respect him eventually, though very grudgingly I assume," he said.

Gai continued giving winks and grins to the people, even eliciting some chuckles from the women. Iruka smiled warmly at his friend. Sometimes being oblivious to the world around you was a good thing. He had long respected Gai's outgoing nature and his willingness to _not_ fall into the status quo. It was something Iruka wished he could do—not care so much about other people's opinions.

"Ah, here we are. Let's get ready shall we? Don't worry; I doubt the Council has anything to say that will last too long. I know you're all tired and well in waiting for a rest."

They stopped in front of a tall tower. Iruka stared at it for a while. There were no windows and he couldn't even see what the top looked like. It seemed like a strange place for a council to meet considering there seemed to be no way to keep track of what was going on outside. Shinya led them through the doors—this time made of glass—and almost immediately they were enveloped in a gloomy darkness. The doors slid shut and Iruka looked around in mild confusion.

"Is it supposed to be this dark or is it just me?" came Genma's usual bored drawl.

"Oi, I seem to have misplaced my matches. I suppose using ninjutsu is out of the question, eh?" quipped Gai, somewhere on Iruka's left.

The Chuunin focused on the breathing patterns of his companions before estimating how far away he was from them. It was then that he realized that Shinya was missing from their group. He tapped his foot against the floor and heard echoes, meaning there was nothing else in the room. Iruka narrowed his eyes.

"Hm, this does seem rather discourteous to leave us alone in the dark," remarked Genma. He began feeling for his weapons and remained on guard to everything around him.

"This could be some sort of test," suggested Iruka, though his mind grew heavy with that thought in mind.

"Well, these people certainly have an interesting culture! I am quite fascinated!"

Genma clicked his tongue. "Are you ever discouraged by anything?" he inquired.

"Nope!"

A cold wind then descended upon them at that very instant and all three of the shinobi were knocked to the ground from its force. Iruka closed his eyes and tried to imagine the scenario if there was light, but he could little against the rising uneasiness within him. And just then, a burst of light flooded their visions and Iruka heard Gai and Genma protesting to its sudden emergence. Iruka opened his eyes slowly and saw the dim silhouette of a tall figure before them.

"Umino Iruka. Let's see how much of your mother's blood runs through you," came a deep and raspy tone before the figure raised one arm.

The last thing Iruka recalled was a resounding force pushing him back against his own will and the silent darkness that pursued.

* * *

TBC

Yay, they're finally in Hidden Shade. And Iruka is attacked. Woo.


	9. Lesson

* * *

**The Esoteric**

**VIII**

* * *

"That was quite the trick they pulled."

"It makes me want to find out even more of Hidden Shade's character!"

Muffled voices filled Iruka's ears before his mind went alert. With some struggle he cracked his eyes open, and for a moment, saw a collage of blurred and fuzzy images before they slowly came into focus. He was currently lying on a very comfortable bed in a very wide room with scarcely any furniture. The windows were open and the curtains drawn; a rosy breeze blew in and the sunlight peeked into the room, casting it in a warm atmosphere. Near the center were Gai and Genma, who were situated on two lounge seats by a table, each holding their own set of cards. When Iruka shifted in his place, they both looked up. Gai was the first to stand up and greet Iruka with a cheerful and booming, "Good morning, sleepyhead!" Genma was much more refined and simply nodded his greeting.

Iruka lifted his arms and was astonished to discover how sore his body was. "What happened in that tower?" he asked curiously. He was dressed in simple garments—a loose black shirt and pants. He slowly stood from the bed and grimaced slightly. "I feel like I was just hammered down by an anvil."

Gai and Genma exchanged glances. "In a way you kind of were," remarked Genma.

"These shinobi certainly have some strange techniques! We don't know what they did, but it was very, very, tricky indeed," added in Gai with a semi-serious look on his face.

Iruka sighed wearily. "How long was I out?" he asked.

"Just the night. The shinobi who attacked you sort of disappeared once we regained our bearings and Shinya came back and led us here. Our room is right across the hall," answered Genma as he shuffled the deck of cards and placed it back into his back pocket.

"Oi! I'm guessing that the shinobi who attacked you might be the one to train you, Iruka!" exclaimed Gai suddenly.

Iruka paled at the thought. "Oh, joy," he muttered.

"Heh, he certainly is strong. That light he produced blinded us completely," commented Genma dryly.

Gai nodded in agreement before raising his fist in the air. "It makes me very happy indeed that my rival is not here!" he declared joyfully.

"You really are afraid of Kakashi, aren't you?" murmured Genma.

"Eh? WHAT WAS THAT, GENMA?"

Before their dispute could go on any further, though, the door to Iruka's room opened and the three shinobi looked up to see Shinya smiling at all of them cheerfully.

"Iruka, here are your new training clothes. You're to meet up with Shuntaro-san in two hours at the back garden. Please be ready by then. I'll come by to pick you up," he instructed as he tossed Iruka a bundle of folded clothes.

"Can we come along as well?"

Shinya eyed Genma carefully before slowly shaking his head. "Sorry, but we can't risk you being there; you might pick up on some of our techniques, especially since the sensei will be directly teaching them to Iruka. But we do have something else you two can do," he replied with a small twinkle in his eye.

"Er…what?" asked Gai, somewhat suspicious.

Shinya smiled innocently. "Just be ready when I come by for Iruka and then you'll find out," he said before leaving the room with a barely audible click of the door.

"That guy seems to like patronizing us," remarked Genma.

"I'll teach him something about RESPECT for his ELDERS!" exclaimed Gai with a burning look in his eyes.

Iruka watched Gai amusedly and sighed when he thought about Shinya's words. _The shinobi of Hidden Shade certainly don't waste any time. _He then looked at the clothes in his hands and smiled slightly when he caught glimpse of the headband. A moment of doubt flickered into his mind on whether or not he would wear this headband or the one from Konoha, his home. Iruka shook his head and placed the Shade headband on the bed. It didn't seem right to just simply cast away his old headband for a new one; he felt like he would be betraying Konoha in some sense even though it would have probably been the proper thing to do.

"I wonder how long this training will be. These shinobi certainly like to keep everything under wraps—it's kind of annoying," remarked Genma as he chewed on his needle. He looked outside the window and crossed his arms thoughtfully.

Iruka glanced at him. "Let's just have a little faith in them," he said supportively.

Genma arched an eyebrow. "Hm, now you're talking to me like I'm a student at the Academy," he replied calmly.

The Chuunin laughed embarrassingly. Gai smacked him on the back goodheartedly. "Oh ho! You've been speaking to the children so long that you even started talking to us in the same way!" he exclaimed, laughing.

Iruka did his best not to turn red.

"Well, well, this certainly is a nice place to stay."

Iruka instantly jumped around in surprise. Gai and Genma remained relatively calm, though the former was fuming with rage at their sudden visitor.

"You! I had hoped you would remained at Konoha!" he exclaimed grievously.

Iruka watched slowly as Kakashi's visible eye crinkled upwards in a smile. "Now, now, I couldn't possibly let you have all the fun—though, you haven't done anything yet have you?" he replied, glancing at Iruka and Genma.

Genma was the one to respond as he smiled slightly. "No, _we_ just arrived yesterday. Might I ask, however, how you came here so quickly?" he inquired.

Kakashi gave a low chuckle. "Pakkun," he answered simply before looking at Gai, "You know, you really shouldn't use whatever shampoo you have. Even if I can't smell it, Pakkun said he could track you down if you were halfway around the world."

Gai looked utterly insulted. "WHAT? Are you implying that my shampoo _stinks_? I'll have you know it was taken from the farthest regions of the planet, incorporating extremely rare resources to ensure that my hair will be forever glossy and dandruff-free!" he boasted.

"At what price, though?" replied Kakashi smartly.

When the famed Green Beast looked ready to explode, Iruka finally cut in and placed a hand on Gai's shoulder bracingly. "Please try not to get into any conflicts. This isn't what we're here for," he cajoled.

Gai crossed his arms stubbornly but Kakashi looked at Iruka curiously. "So when does this training of yours begin?" he asked.

Iruka frowned slightly. "Um…," he began before being interrupted by a sudden clash.

The doors of his room flew open and in swarmed in a group of Shade shinobi, circling Kakashi warily. The latter remained situated in his spot calmly as regarded his opponents with something akin to amusement. He then glanced over one of the shinobi's shoulder and eyed Iruka.

"Rather protective aren't they?"

"Only to ensure the safety of our home," cut in Shinya as he entered the room, a cross look on his face. "It's you."

A brief flash of recognition crossed Kakashi's eyes before he tilted his head to the side. "Hm, I should have known I would see you again," he replied lightly.

Shinya narrowed his eyes, still recalling his previous capture several weeks ago. "You do know you're trespassing," he stated firmly.

Kakashi placed an innocent look on his face. "Oh? Am I?" he wondered aloud curiously.

Iruka threw a warning look at the Jounin. Kakashi shrugged offhandedly and took out a rolled up piece of paper from his front pocket and presented it to Shinya.

"I'll be joining these three as the last party," he said solemnly.

Shinya scanned the pass and handed it back to him, signaling for the other shinobi to lower the weapons. "I pray Tsunade won't be sending any more shinobi—she is taking our gesture for an alliance far too greatly," he replied.

Kakashi smiled. "Oh, I doubt there are others coming. We do have a lot of work to do ourselves back home without this demon to add in," he said.

Shinya stared at Kakashi impassively and Iruka marveled at the change in the shinobi's behavior. He had been almost amiable before with himself and the others, yet it seemed Kakashi had managed to provoke him into being very stubborn and tense. Iruka shook his head and started when Gai poked him in the ribs.

"I must say I rather do like the fact that Kakashi is giving that young shinobi a taste of his own medicine. Heh, that Copy Nin is good for something after all," he muttered amusedly.

Iruka remained apprehensive. "But we should be trying to befriend Shade, not annoy them," he pointed out desperately.

Genma glanced at the Chuunin from the side. "Then I suggest you preach those same words to them as well," he remarked calmly.

Iruka's eyebrows knitted close together in obvious frustration. "Listen! We're all here for one reason, right? To stop this demon from terrorizing any more people. We have to work together in order to achieve this so that means putting aside our differences. Who cares about our personality clashes or verbal debates? All of this is minute compared to the real danger looming ahead. If we don't learn to cooperate with one another, we're all dead," he vocalized fervently, much to the surprise of everyone in the room.

Ensuing silence filled the room and Iruka took that moment to gauge everyone's reactions. He smiled to himself in satisfaction and breathed in relief when everyone looked at each other in mutual understanding. It seemed the arguments had come to a draw.

"You're much more sensitive to other people than your mother was. Interesting."

Immediately the Shade shinobi all bowed respectively at the newcomer. Iruka realized with faint recoil that it was the man they had encountered in the tower—he could not very well forget that voice so easily. He appeared much less formidable in person but the sharpness of his eyes made it very difficult to look at him for long. Iruka felt like his every thought could be read under that piercing gaze.

"Shuntaro-san. I thought you wanted to begin the training later in the afternoon," greeted Shinya respectfully.

The older man eyed him carefully. "I did. Then I heard the ruckus being made here. It is of no consequence anyway. Do you wish to start now, Umino?" he replied before looking at Iruka directly.

The Chuunin blinked and merely nodded numbly, his voice deciding to stop functioning. Shuntaro was a tall man, though still slightly shorter than Gai, with black streaks running through otherwise white hair and narrow eyes. He looked no older than forty and Iruka wondered briefly how well he had known his mother. _What did he mean by his words before? _The dark-haired man tried in vain to look at him in the eye but failed miserably as those blue irises seemed to rake across his very soul, judging everything he had ever done in his life.

"Hmm…very well. Get ready. I will waiting in the back gardens," instructed Shuntaro as he turned and left the room.

It was as if all life had returned afterwards and everyone breathed a sigh of relief, even Shinya. Iruka looked at him questionably.

"It is always so tense around him?" he asked.

Shinya managed a tight smile. "Oh, yes. He's one of the best this village has to offer. He seldom trains anyone, however. You truly are fortunate that you get to learn from a master," he replied, speaking reverently of the man. "He also served on the Council several years ago before retiring quietly even though he isn't that old. We still call on him when we need serious advice, though. He could be considered, in a way, like your Hokage-sama. But Shade has no real, literal leader—only elected representatives."

"A democracy," murmured Genma.

Shinya eyed him. "Yes," he said. Then he rounded up the shinobi and instructed them to return to their posts. Finally, he looked at Iruka and bowed respectfully. "Do your best. Shuntaro-san is known to be very harsh as I'm sure you gathered from your first meeting."

Iruka briefly had a vision of the force that had swept him under in the tower and grimaced. "All too well I'm afraid," he muttered.

Shinya smiled and left the room, leaving it to the four original shinobi. Iruka went to change into his new clothes as the others began their own exchange.

"That Shuntaro…he definitely has some power in him," remarked Genma.

"You best watch yourself, Iruka," advised Gai, surprisingly serious about this issue.

Iruka raised an eyebrow as he adjusted his shirt. "Like I didn't know that from the beginning," he replied somewhat bitterly.

The truth of the situation was just about to hit him hard. Up until that point he still felt as if he was living a dream—that somehow he would wake up and find himself in his room back at Konoha. This was far from being a dream, though. Iruka steadied himself. _Time to face your inner demons, Iruka. You'll have to do that first before going off to fight a real one. _The Chuunin guarded his expression carefully.

"Then I'll see you all later. Remember, you have to meet up with Shinya," he said.

Genma nodded, waving his hand carelessly. "Yeah, yeah, we know. Just go," he replied.

Iruka gave a quick smile and vanished from the room with a large puff of smoke.

"So…who wants to make a bet in how long Iruka will be able to stand this training? I say three hours," suggested Genma.

"Five! I believe in Iruka!" exclaimed Gai.

"Six," chimed in Kakashi.

Genma arched an eyebrow. "Let's make it so that the winner can do whatever he wants with the losers, eh? Anything except torture, sexual relations, and mental degradation of course, but I don't think any of us is that sadistic," he said, casting a significant glance in Kakashi's direction.

The Jounin smiled slowly under his mask. _Iruka, you better hold out long enough for me to win._

* * *

"Your offense is weak. How did you ever manage to survive your missions?" 

Iruka panted deeply and did all he could from collapsing to the ground. As expected Shuntaro was not an easygoing person. They had been training for nearly six hours now and throughout that time Iruka had to bear with both physical assertion and harsh scolding from his new teacher. Everything that he had learned back at Konoha simply didn't faze this man at all. And all they were doing was sparring. According to Shuntaro, he wanted to get a basic handle of Iruka's strengths before going into anything deeper. It was absolutely horrifying, though, the drastic difference in power between himself and Shuntaro.

After launching a final assault with everything he had left remaining, Iruka simply fell back onto the ground, breathing hard in dismay. Shuntaro stood several meters away, watching him carefully.

"You need to work on your footing. Your reflexes are in dire need of tuning as well. To react is one thing—to react with control is an entirely different manner. That is what you need to learn," came the man's deep voice.

Shuntaro's condescending words were another thing that Iruka had grown accustomed to in their short time together. It seemed like nothing he did pleased the older man and Iruka had given up trying to impress him even faintly after the first two hours. He sat up tiredly and stared at the older man, whose black-streaked hair swayed gently in the breeze. Shuntaro had the most outstanding features Iruka had seen out of all the Shade shinobi. His streaked hair was one factor and so were his gleaming azure eyes. All the other shinobi from Shade seemed to pale in comparison to him. Originally Iruka thought that Shuntaro would be a strict teacher, yet somehow at the same time welcoming. He found himself greatly mistaken with the last part, though. From the moment they first started training, Shuntaro bore the same look in his eyes as he gazed at Iruka—one filled with emptiness and nonchalance. It made Iruka wonder if he had done anything to offend the man.

"Did your mother teach you anything?"

"Um…"

The question caught Iruka off guard and he found himself staring at Shuntaro dumbly. The older man simply stared back at him evenly. Iruka finally snapped out of his reverie. "Uh, yes! We often trained in the dark. She taught me how to detect moving objects using our other senses," he answered nervously.

Shuntaro nodded faintly. "Did she ever teach you any techniques?" he questioned.

"No," answered Iruka, wondering where this would lead to.

Shuntaro raised his hands. "Then we can start with something simple. Watch carefully," he ordered firmly.

Iruka blinked once but kept his attention on Shuntaro's hands as they formed quick seals. When he finished, no words were uttered but the entire area around them was engulfed in black immediately. The bright afternoon sun disappeared and Iruka found himself standing in a cold and desolate darkness.

"Come and try to attack me," directed Shuntaro from somewhere before him.

Iruka closed his eyes and focused on gathering his nerves. Going off to fight recklessly was not something he was about to attempt. Calmness and patience was what he needed most, and Iruka stood meditating to himself in order to achieve this. After several moments, the dark-haired man took deep breaths before launching himself forward, mentally projecting an image of Shuntaro. He threw one long punch towards the man's face and felt the air shift as he dodged. Iruka then quickly reacted by sweeping low, catching Shuntaro off guard. He heard the other man twist around uncomfortably to maintain his stance and Iruka took this chance to try another punch. This one connected hard with the other man, but Iruka could tell he had had blocked it by the dull sound it produced. He frowned to himself. This was his first time fighting against someone who could move in the dark as easily as him since his mother.

And just as suddenly the blackness had developed it dissipated with a blink of an eye. Iruka found himself standing in the middle of the grass field, staring at the setting sun in the distance. Shuntaro was standing behind him, a critical expression on his face.

"It seems you are better fighting in the dark than in the light," he commented.

Iruka turned around embarrassingly. "Um, yes, well… My mother trained me very severely when I was younger. I was first exposed to fighting in the dark," he replied.

Shuntaro's eyes narrowed, making Iruka want to look away. "Did you learn the jutsu?" he inquired lightly.

"I think I got most of it," answered Iruka with some surprise.

"Try it," commanded Shuntaro, crossing his arms.

Iruka nodded and started going back in his mind to recall the images of the seal formation. He then called upon his remaining chakra and instinctively began forming the seals. After the last one, Iruka surprised both Shuntaro and himself with the sudden darkness that blanketed them. The coldness was unbearable this time round, though. Iruka shivered involuntarily from the cold and sucked in his breath painfully.

"Too strong," came a muted voice before the blackness faded away. Iruka stood gazing at Shuntaro, who bored the same impassive expression, not affected at all by the jutsu. "You used too much chakra. Though the jutsu was effective, you found it hard to deal with the cold, right?"

Iruka nodded to this.

"You'll need to adjust the amount of chakra usage in this particular jutsu. Some users can bear the cold so they will use a greater amount of chakra—but maintaining the darkness also uses up their energy so most of the time they will only hold up for several minutes. If you want to keep it for a longer period of time it's best to use as little chakra as possible," explained Shuntaro.

There was a momentary pause as Shuntaro shifted to look at Iruka directly. "You still have much to learn. Do you think you can do it?" he asked suddenly.

Iruka's answer was almost immediate. "It's not a matter of thinking I can do it. I _have_ to do it. And nothing will stop me," he said passionately. He had far too much to lose if he didn't. And Iruka was not ready to lose even more of those that he held close to his heart.

Shuntaro's gaze became softer. "Unexpected determination—a good quality I suppose," he murmured lightly. He then turned his back on Iruka. "Today's training is finished. We will resume tomorrow at the same time."

With that he vanished and Iruka smiled in his wake. It seemed there was more to Shuntaro than he first gave him credit for. He was fortunate in having him as his teacher now. Iruka rotated his shoulders, cringing at the soreness. He had just about hit his limitations. Shuntaro was utterly relentless. If he was to endure this sort of training every day he would no doubt burn out before the end of the week. Iruka gave a resigned sigh and summoned enough chakra to teleport back to his room. All he wanted now was a hot bath and sleep.

"Aha. It's over six hours. I win."

Blinking, Iruka looked around to see Kakashi, Genma, and Gai sprawled across the room in various sitting positions. They appeared to have finished eating their dinners. But that didn't explain the triumphant look on Kakashi's face as Gai and Genma both sighed wearily. Iruka walked over to them curiously.

"Did I miss something here?" he inquired mildly.

All they offered him were several more heavy sighs. Kakashi patted him on the back heartily. "Ah, that was a good training session, no? It's good you held out so long! These two were worried," he remarked brightly.

Iruka arched an eyebrow. "I'm fine," he said, baffled by Kakashi's words.

Gai shot him a dejected look. "But we're not," he said, shooting a wary glance at the Jounin beside Iruka.

Kakashi only gave a short laugh. "Oh? You really shouldn't worry so much, Gai!" he teased.

Iruka only shook his head and walked out of the room, focused on getting his much-deserved bath.

* * *

TBC


	10. Attack

**

* * *

**

**The Esoteric**

**IX**

* * *

It had been two weeks since Iruka left Konoha. Naruto stared at the blue sky dazedly. All the other teachers had returned from their missions save Iruka, Gai, and Kakashi. It made the blond wonder what in the world was taking them so long. There was only so many "tournaments" his and Gai's team could have. Naruto knew Neji's moves now so well that he could have fought the other Genin blindfolded. And Lee was starting to get on his nerves as well. He had not realized it before, but Lee really did talk a lot. But Sakura never bothered to quiet him—yet she did so whenever Naruto got out of hand. That really bugged him to no ends. Why did Lee get special treatment and not him? He was her teammate!

"Hey, idiot. Why don't you stop lying around on your ass all day long and do something useful?"

At once Naruto sat up and glared darkly at Sasuke. The latter had been relatively civil to him, which was surprising, but he was still just as arrogant as before. Naruto stared at him. "What?" he called out from his post on the rooftop.

"Mission," replied Sasuke.

"ARE YOU SERIOUS?"

Naruto almost stumbled off the building in his shock. He gaped at Sasuke, who merely watched him with a hint of a smirk on his face.

"We're teaming up with Lee and his team since Kakashi and Gai aren't here," he added.

"But, but, what do we have to do?" cried out Naruto as he leapt down the building eagerly.

Sasuke shrugged. "Nothing big. We're just delivering a package to Hidden Grass," he replied.

Naruto was still ecstatic. Any chance to get out of the village was fine with him. And it had been so long since they did any missions. He was going to yell at Kakashi when he returned from his mission for leaving them for so long. Naruto thought about this again for a moment. He would also complain to Iruka, too.

"Well, then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" he declared excitedly before grabbing Sasuke's arm and running off with the latter in tow.

"Naruto! Let go!"

The blond was blind to his request, though, as they sped through the village to the Hokage's main office building. _A mission, a mission!_ The same stanza was repeated endlessly in Naruto's mind gleefully. When they reached the office, Naruto stopped victoriously. Sakura and the rest of Gai's team had already assembled there.

"You really do want to die, don't you?" inquired Sasuke sharply as he wrenched his arm out of the blond's grip.

Naruto grinned cheerfully. "But it's a _mission_!" he said as means of an excuse.

Sitting on the desk before them all, Tsunade folded her hands with a faint smile. "Your recklessness will be your downfall, Naruto," she commented airily.

"Whatever. So what are the details?"

Tsunade shook her head. "Such hastiness," she muttered under her breath before glancing at the paper in her hand. "You're to deliver this package safely to Hoshi Wakato, who resides in Hidden Grass. That's all. You'll be given a week—which is more than enough time for this mission."

"All right! Let's go then!"

"We need to pack first, dimwit."

Tsunade regarded them amusedly for a moment. "Be careful, though. Remember that we're at war. Spies could be littered all over the area. It would do you some good to take caution," she advised.

Naruto crossed his arms with a grunt.

"Don't worry, Hokage-sama! We won't fail you!" pledged Lee.

Tsunade smiled slightly. "As long as you understand," she said before dismissing them.

"Then let's start packing!" exclaimed Naruto before leaving the office in a blur.

Tsunade shook her head exasperatedly.

* * *

"I wonder what's in the package."

"Don't even try it, Naruto."

"But _Sakura-chan_!"

"If you open it, you die."

"Who made you leader, huh!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes at the fuming blond. They had only set out a few hours ago and already Naruto was proving to live up to his reputation as the most impatient and rash shinobi in all of Konoha. Gai's team was relatively quiet—Lee being the only one out of the three who seemed genuinely eager about the mission. Tenten made idle comments here and there and Neji was almost completely mute. It made Sasuke wonder how their team even functioned together. But then again, the same could be said about his team—in which the members were almost always quarreling.

"Mission, mission, mission," Naruto sang aloud as he decided to give up his attempt on opening the package without everyone else murdering him.

"It's amazing they managed to accomplish any mission at all," Sasuke heard Tenten murmur to Neji, who grunted in agreement. He couldn't blame them, though. Sometimes he wondered how they managed to live and survive to report their missions' successes as well.

"What could Gai-sensei be doing that's so important?" inquired Tenten again to Neji.

The dark-haired boy narrowed his eyes. "Who knows," he murmured.

"Let's find out!"

The two looked up in surprise at Naruto's sudden input. The blond was grinning at them as he walked backwards. "After this mission is done we can head over to the Hokage's office and snoop around. I've done it before—it's really not that hard. You just need to distract the guards a little," he suggested mischievously.

Tenten frowned. "I don't really think that's necessary…," she began before Lee suddenly jumped on the idea.

"Really? We can find out where Gai-sensei went?"

Naruto nodded. "Yup! And Iruka-sensei, too!" he added eagerly.

"Oi, Naruto, that's too risky! Do you want to stay a Genin forever?" argued Sakura.

"I won't get us into trouble! I've done this before. If you follow my directions everything will go smoothly!"

"Naruto, I don't trust you!"

"You really think you can do this, Naruto-kun?"

"Uh, guys, really, we _don't_ need to find out what happened to Gai-sensei that badly."

"Come on, where's your sense of adventure?"

"I never thought all of you could be so annoying," remarked Neji finally.

There was a pause in which everyone stared at the dark-haired boy incredulously.

"The annoying part is true. But I think the idiot may have something going on—_if_ we act correspondingly to a plan first."

The attention was shifted to Sasuke then, who bore a strangely masked expression, yet there was no denying the devious look in his eyes as he spoke. Naruto blinked several times before grinning widely.

"You actually agree with me?" he asked in amazement.

Sasuke shrugged nonchalantly. "There's something wrong within the Hokage's office. I can tell that much," he commented idly.

"So let's hurry up and get this damn package delivered! We can't be wasting any more time!"

With that declaration the group started moving at a quicker pace. They passed through the forests of Konoha with little difficulty; however, it was when they entered Hidden Grass that any trouble would greet them. It was late afternoon by the time they had managed to deliver the package safely to Hoshi Wakato, and it was nearing midnight when they were leaving Hidden Grass.

"Tell me why again we're traveling by night instead of staying at an inn," complained Sakura as they swept past tall fields of grass.

Naruto turned to wink at her. "'Cause we want to get back to Konoha as soon as possible to set my plan into motion of course!" he exclaimed.

Sakura glared at the blond darkly. "You're going to kill us all one day, Naruto," she muttered.

"Is it just me, or did it get really dark?" quipped Lee suddenly.

All six shinobi looked at the sky. The moonlight that had previously shone down on them so vividly had vanished behind smoky clouds, casting them all into an uneasy darkness. They all gathered closer together instinctively as they moved at a slightly slower pace. No words were exchanged, but everyone felt the same thing: that cold, ominous feeling of despair that haunted their minds.

"Well, maybe we should light a torch," suggested Naruto weakly.

"We would alert other wandering shinobi," Sasuke broke in. "We can only travel in darkness. Neji, you can see can't you?"

"It's clear sailing," replied the other boy.

Tenten gave a strained laugh. "Then I wonder why we're all so tense," she said.

The group gave a nervous laugh as one before continuing in silence. All plans on breaking into the Hokage's office were left in the dark temporarily as they focused instead on simply returning home unscathed. The thought made Naruto shudder involuntarily. It felt as if someone was watching them, yet according to Neji there was no one around the perimeter. The blond shook his head and gathered his wits together. _I'm just being paranoid,_ he thought reassuringly to himself. Even so, however, Naruto retained a wary watch over their black surroundings.

"It's a silent night," murmured Tenten.

Sakura glanced around apprehensively. "Too silent," she added.

"Home, home, home—oh, Konoha, how I miss your quaint appearance! Your embracing people and village call out to my heart!" Naruto burst out suddenly in a highly broken tune.

"Naruto…you idiot," muttered Sakura while stifling her own giggles.

It seemed as if the tension had been put aside for the moment as Naruto continued singing his song, making up stranger and more outrageous lyrics as he went along until the entire group was seen smiling to his antics.

"It seems he's good for something after all," commented Tenten lightheartedly.

Only when a piercing coldness entered the air did they realize the possibility of having fallen into a trap of some sorts. They gathered around each other intuitively, forming a defensive circle on all sides. The field was dark and the tall grasses around them brushed against their legs in an almost taunting manner.

"What's…happening?" whispered Sakura—the tone of fear evident in her voice.

"Just stick close," Naruto advised tightly, gripping his kunai so hard that the weapon was shaking in his hand from the strain.

A sickly gasping sounded close to them, making everyone flinch.

"Neji—"

"I don't see anything, Tenten."

The breathing was ghastly. It echoed around them gloomily and with each passing second, seemed to grow louder and louder until the deafening tones surrounded them completely. It sounded as if someone was trying desperately to breathe—the hacking and gasps inspiring fear and apprehension in the group's minds—and the rattling drum of air being sucked in and out was too horrible to bear any witness. Nothing else existed except this one cacophony of gasps, wheezing, and rattling.

Finally, Naruto summoned his energy and threw his kunai randomly in the air before him. For a split second, everything became silent. Only the faint thud of the kunai embedding itself into a tree bark rang out and then nothing once again. Before anyone could think to react, the breathing was upon them in an instant—louder and more horrid than before.

"Sasuke, light a goddamn fire already! We're already in as much trouble as we can get!" shouted Naruto desperately, fighting off the imaginary hands creeping around them.

The dark-haired boy followed through without word, picking up a stray piece of wood near his foot before igniting it aflame. He held it above everyone's heads and narrowed his eyes at the scene. There was nothing in the field around them. The sky was as inky as ever and the wind had fallen to a halt. But other than the tall grasses standing around them, there was not a single soul present. Hidden Grass had few trees and those that were encircling them were completely barren—bent into unshapely positions, their branches sweeping the ground faintly with a creak. Naruto's kunai was spotted among one of the trunks, gleaming dully in the firelight.

"Who the hell is out there? Come out and fight like a man!" Naruto yelled indignantly. He was mad at himself for feeling this fear—but more importantly—he was mad at being afraid of seemingly nothing at all. He clenched his fists. "Come out!"

Sakura faced the blond with some concern in her eyes. "Naruto…," she murmured before her eyes widened at something in the distance. "Oh, my…!"

The others looked at the direction the pink-haired girl was facing and each felt a sudden drop in their hearts. A swarming shadow was filling the entire area, the edges wrinkling and curling about like the licks of a flame. The horrid breathing had returned again and now they knew where it had come from. This shadow fell towards them in a great splash of black flames. The group backed away automatically, shinobi senses kicking into action when their minds could not think of anything else.

"W-what…?" stuttered Sakura as she dropped her kunai to the ground, her eyes wide in terror.

And without warning, the shadow attacked and a scream was sounded in the thick night.

* * *

Iruka woke up with a start, sweat dripping down his neck and forehead. He breathed deeply for a moment, trying to gather his senses before looking around the room. It was night and the cool air entered through the windows, stirring the curtains from their spots and eliciting a foreign image in the Chunnin's head. An image of blackness—a shadow looming in the horizon—figureless and haunting. Iruka narrowed his eyes and tried to remember what had happened in his dream—a dream that seemed far too real for him to ignore.

"Can't sleep?"

With a jolt, Iruka looked towards the window again and saw Kakashi leaning against the wall, arms crossed.

"What are you…?"

"Couldn't sleep either."

Iruka frowned slightly. He wished Kakashi would be slightly more courteous when he intruded on someone's privacy—but it was simply a wish, nothing more. The Copy Nin, it seemed, did not include the word "courteous" in his vocabulary. And no matter how much Iruka insisted, Kakashi would play forgetful and simply apologize in that very irritating manner of his.

"I had a strange dream," he suddenly said without thinking.

At this Kakashi looked at him, his one eye gleaming brightly before arching upwards in a smile. "Oh? Is our little Iruka finally growing up?" he replied lecherously.

It took several moments for Iruka to comprehend what Kakashi said before red filled his face. "W-what!" he cried out in dismay.

Kakashi nodded knowingly. "It happens to all of us at some point, Iruka. It's a part of being a man," he continued—employing a tone that implied he had much knowledge about the issue—but only managing to sound somewhat perverted.

Iruka glared at the silver-haired man darkly. "I dreamed about the _demon_, Kakashi."

Finally, the Jounin looked at Iruka seriously—but that moment only lasted for a brief second before he said, "Well now, Iruka, I'm not so sure if it's really healthy to be dreaming about the thing you're going to kill…"

The dark-haired man clenched his fist under the sheets as he attempted to calm his temper down. Kakashi was known for this. He was a master at provocation and he did not simply limit that skill to only enemies. No, he made sure his friends and allies would get a whiff of it as well—even if it drove them mad. Iruka wondered if there was any particular reason _why_ Kakashi seemed to love driving people to corners until they exploded. Was it for some kind of sadistic pleasure—or did he just do it unconsciously? It was probably a mixture of both, Iruka concluded.

"I think…someone was attacked, Kakashi—someone close to us."

It appeared, for the moment, that the silver-haired Jounin had cast aside his teasing remarks as he gazed hard at Iruka. "What makes you say that?" he inquired.

Iruka shrugged helplessly. "I don't know! It just…felt real. I don't know who it was, though…," he replied, his eyebrows crunching together in obvious frustration. The dream had been so abstract. The only real image he could recall was the one of the demon—and even that seemed a little blurry around the edges. But he remembered voices and…fear. Great fear.

"They did say you were the only one who could defeat this demon. I wonder why, though. Did Shuntaro say anything to you?"

"No."

Kakashi narrowed his eyes. It seemed very strange that they would hide such details. Perhaps they were saving them for later as to not alarm Iruka. But now he could not help but what wonder exactly how Iruka's mother had sealed the demon in the first place. And the fact that this demon had no name made it seem even more suspicious. It seemed he would have to do some sneaking around. Kakashi did not really like the idea—but the secretiveness of the entire situation was slowly driving him crazy. Speculations would get them nowhere and if Hidden Shade truly did want an alliance with Konoha, then they would have to learn to share some of their knowledge eventually.

"Well, I don't think you should worry about it too much," Kakashi said calmly.

Iruka pursed his lips in concentration. "I suppose you're right. Shuntaro's sessions have been getting harder with each passing day—I guess the stress is just getting to me," he replied lightly.

"Hm… _Have_ your sessions been getting more difficult? I can't really tell. You two are always fighting in darkness."

"Well, yes—wait. You've been watching?"

Kakashi stared back at the younger man evenly. Iruka sighed deeply to himself. It was also a known fact that Kakashi could be quite the snoop when he wanted to be. Gai had warned him of that, but somehow he could never imagine the famed Kakashi doing something so…childish.

"I'm not spying if that's why you're staring at me as if you're about to punish me. I'm only doing my duty. That brat Shinya has Gai and Genma wrapped around his thumb doing miscellaneous chores so someone has to make sure you're safe—because regardless of how much _you_ trust this village, _we_ can't afford any mistakes."

Iruka stared at Kakashi in mild surprise. Then the latter broke into a loud laugh.

"Or maybe I was just bored and had nothing better to do! I can't read a book forever you know. Besides…I would run out of them too quickly if I did!"

Iruka restrained himself from instinctively bopping the older man on the head.

Suddenly the door burst open and Gai rushed in, looking distinctly ruffled in his green nightgown. Iruka and Kakashi gaped at him incredulously, torn between staring at the flowery patterns on Gai's attire and the panicked expression on the man's face.

"Uh…Gai…what's…"

"I was looking all over for you, Kakashi! Where have you been?" Gai inquired immediately, ignoring Iruka completely.

Kakashi shrugged. "I was roaming around like a nighthawk," he replied offhandedly.

Gai suddenly became grim as he held up a piece of paper in his hand. "Yes, well, speaking of hawks…we received a message from Hokage-sama," he said.

Iruka and Kakashi looked at him expectantly.

The famed Green Beast took a deep breath. "The demon's been spotted in Hidden Grass," he stated before pausing and looking at Kakashi cautiously. "The group that discovered them was from Konoha—namely your team and mine—as they were coming back from a mission."

Kakashi's eyes became steely and Iruka could not help but tense in worry. _Naruto…it can't be._ He suddenly remembered his dream. All that fear…and that piercing scream of agony… Who had it been?

"And? Are they all right?" queried Kakashi, his tone and expression masked smoothly.

Gai sighed deeply and his eyes grew sad. "They're all fine—suffering from post-traumatic shock—but in perfect health," he replied softly before looking at Kakashi. "Except…Sasuke was taken. And they don't know where he or the demon is now. It's likely…he's dead."

Iruka's eyes widened in shock as Gai looked away apologetically.

There was a brief rustling of feet and both turned around to see Kakashi disappear through the window.

* * *

TBC

Ack, so sorry for the super long delay. I sort of hit a dead end with this story for a while. Writing this part was a pain in the ass. But now I'm back on track! So hopefully I won't be disappearing for another eight months again! XD


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